The Black Demon King
by Suavesky
Summary: Life as a prince was a memory. Pain and suffering had become his story. Gone was Lelouch Vi Britannia, a victim of lies and betrayal. And in his place rose a different sort of hero. A darker hero. This is the story of that man, who's legacy can be summed up by a single number: Zero. AU.
1. The Lost Prince

**Disclaimer: I do not Own Code Geass in any shape or form. But I do own the originally ideas and characters present in this story.**

* * *

**_December 17, 2014 ATB_**

**_Davao City, Philippines._**

**_2:36 AM_**

The young mercenary, codenamed _Zero_, transition from sleep to consciousness in the span of five seconds. Violet eyes snapped to attention and lifted up to focus on to the face peering back. Even in the darkness of the ruined building that had served as their shelter for the past few hours Zero could still clearly make out the shape of his companion's face. Wide of body and with a strong jaw, a shaggy mane of brown hair that reached shoulder length, and a neatly trimmed mustache and beard the man named Algeron Armistead was by no means an ugly individual. But good looks mattered little on the battlefield. Especially in this day and age.

The man's sky blue eyes locked on to his young partner's royal purple before he nodded once. He removed his hands from the younger's shoulder and stood to his full height, not an overly tall man at only around five feet and ten inches tall but what he lacked in height he made up for in bulk. Algeron had once told Zero that he had always been wide of body and that eventually he just choose to turn the fat in to muscle. Something that had served him greatly in their line of work.

"Got a sit rep from the boss." The former EU officer stated as he watched Zero lean forward from his spot resting against a wall. "Everything has been set up for us to move forward. But the window of opportunity is pretty small."

With a groan of exhaustion Zero responded. "ETA until operation start?" His voice betraying his age.

"Twenty-three minutes and fifty seconds." The man responded after a quick glance at the watch strapped to his left wrist. "Which means we'll need to leave with in the next few minutes if we want to make it in time."

Zero nodded as he smoothly rose in to a standing position. Rolling his neck in either direction the mercenary stepped closer to his teammate, standing eye to eye with the older man. Algeron looked over the younger male with a frown. Despite being just fourteen it was clear to see that Zero would finish as one of the taller people around. Already he could barely claim he had an inch advantage in height despite being over twice his age.

"We'll have to move even more quickly then planned if we want to take the opposition out before they can enter their _Knightmare Frames_." Zero stated as he stretched his long legs out in order to force blood in to his limbs.

Algeron, codenamed _Cypher_, snorted. "You just want a chance to pilot one of the newer models."

Zero looked his ally in the eyes before he shrugged. "The Gloucester is supposedly greatly superior to the Sutherland in nearly every possible aspect despite the fact it's just a remodeled on the same basic frame." He continued on past the older man. "I want to figure out what makes it so special."

Cypher eyed the younger mercenary for a second before he shook his head. "You seemingly have an obsession with Knightmare Frames."

Zero stopped to glance back over his shoulder. "I suppose so. But it's only natural when you consider everything."

The frown returned to the man's face. "Considering what?"

"Considering how the battlefield is changing before our very eyes."

There was a bead of silence that stretched between the two before Cypher unconsciously barked a laugh.

"You sounded too much like _Ace_ there kid. Been hanging out with him to much."

"Of course. Where did you think I learned how to talk so dramatic?"

* * *

**_March 15, 2017 ATB_**

**_Tokyo Settlement, Area 11_**

The sound of small rapidly hurrying feet caught his attention long before she had even opened the door. He exhaled in equal parts exhaustion and annoyance. This was beginning to be an damn near every day thing. Apparently the girl could not seem to take the hint that he was not interested in the least. What's more she was apparently becoming more bold. This was the damn _men's locker room_. Just because he was in here didn't mean she could come in when ever she wanted.

_Three. Two. One..._

"LULU!"

A sigh accompanied by his right hand rubbing at his aching and tired eyes. Already he could feel a headache coming on.

"Ms. Fennette." He turned and greeted the girl as calmly as he could while struggling to keep his annoyance in check. The result was a growl through clenched teeth as opposed to actual human speech. "I believe I've asked you several times now not to call me by that ridiculous nickname."

The orange haired girl with delicate features and a lean build halted in front of him almost at once. She opened her mouth to say something further before closing it again in embarrassment. "A-Ah! Sorry, but Madame President call-"

"Madame President." He interrupted patiently. "Has known me for close to a decade now. We on the other hand have only started speaking in the past year. And furthermore I have also told her on several occasions that I do not find it to be a suitable alternative when greeting me."

The girl gaped at him in surprise. He was usually the kind to just ignore things but today was just not a good day for him. He had woken up with more aches and pains than someone his age had any business having in the first place, had to deal with the usual school BS, and still had the student council meeting to attend to later. And between that he had to leave within the next twenty minutes if he wanted to meet the appointment the dean had put together.

All in all he wasn't in the mood to deal with the usual Shirley antics.

_I really wish the girl would just ask so that I could turn her down already..._

"I'm sorry Lu-Lelouch!" She hurried to correct. "I just kinda get used to hearing Milly use it and follow along. I didn't mean to-"

"There you two are!"

Lelouch Marshall hung his head in defeat as his arch nemesis stomped in to the room.

He could already tell that rest of this day was going to be hell.

"Madame President!" Shirley nearly shrieked in surprise as she spun around. In the door way stood a long legged and well formed young woman with flowing blond locks, high cheeks, and dark blue eyes. Her mouth was stretched in to a teasing and bright smile that showed off two rows of beautiful and sparkling teeth.

"Shirley is sneaking in to the men's locker room?! That isn't possible!" She exclaimed with mock horror. "What could cause such a nice young girl to do something so scandalous?!"

Her eyes slid past the other girl in front of her and over to the young male who was finishing the process of buttoning up his shirt. If at all possible her smile would have grown two sizes that moment. Her weight shifted on to her right leg and she placed her hands on to her hips.

"Could it be? That she was here for her precious Lulu?!" The teasing in her tone evident as the girl in question went from a calm tan to tomato red in half a second.

Lelouch simply looked up to face her with pure boredom in his eyes. "And what if she was _Millicent_?"

The young woman's attitude changed instantaneously. Her smile faded away and a chilly look entered her eyes. Her hands fell from her hips to her side and her back went rigid as she stared down her childhood friend with all the disappointment she could possibly muster up.

"_Don't_ call me that." A dangerous gleam reflecting from her gaze that promised absolute pain for anyone who disagreed. Lelouch calmly ignored the unspoken threat and simply smiled sweetly at her in return.

"Then don't call me_ Lulu_."

"Your version is an affectionate. Mine is just ugly." Her tone had gone dead.

"Mine is just as bad. And you actually have that written on your birth certificate." He countered.

"If you continue to call me that." She continued as if she hadn't heard his last argument. "I will be forced to take up extreme measures to ensure your future compliance."

"Why don't you go and plan how to do that Millicent." An equal dangerous look in his eyes. "And while your at it you can take your good friend here with you and explain to her why it's a horrible idea to _barge in to the men's locker_ room where young _men_ go about the process of _dressing_."

Shirley, briefly forgotten, blushed an entirely new shade at the idea.

"I on the other hand." He added while tightening the belt to his pants. "Will be leaving for a prior engagement."

The orange haired girl instantly turned around to face him, her blush a thing of the past, and narrowed her gaze in to his direction.

"Your going out gambling again aren't you?" Her tone accusing. He stopped in the process of putting on his favorite leather jacket and seemed to ponder her words. It was all for show.

"Why yes. Yes I am." Spoken as if talking about the weather. "I will be taking this time between classes, that is typically reserved for lunch, for a trip to the outskirts of the settlement to conduct an illegal money making exercise. Also known as gambling."

"You shouldn't!" The girl exclaimed as her hands balled up at her sides. "You could get caught. Then you would be in real trouble."

A sigh escaped him. "As I continue to say the nobles wouldn't dare tell because they would be reporting themselves as well. And their pride would take too far of a hit. This is an easy way to make money for me."

The blond stepped further in to the room and frowned. "Did grandfather set this one up for you?"

Lelouch glanced over to her. "Yes. I'm doing this one at his behest." He answered honestly.

A growl of frustration left the girl before she shook her head in disappointment. "The two of you are like children."

"But were paid like men." He countered calmly as he picked up his gym bag. It had all sorts of illegal goodies inside of it in a perfectly explainable and easy to carry case. "Now if you'll excuse me, time waits for no man."

And with that he exited past the two girls before they could say anything else to dissuade him.

* * *

"Checkmate."

The declaration was made with pure confidence and met with overwhelming silence. The younger of the two players reclined in to his overly comfortable chair and calmly folded his hands in to his lap. Violet eyes watched as the man seated across the table stood up and gaped in disbelief at the chess board. The previously arrogant and overbearing presence had now been replaced with pure confusion. The usually calm and composed seventeen year old let a vicious smirk slide in to place. The after math of the game was one of the best things about playing nobility. It was always refreshing to see the usually prideful bastards brought down from their pedestal.

However, this one had been particularly satisfying. After all, it wasn't every day that one acquired a controlling interest in an international industrial power over a simple board game.

"A fine match." The young man stated with no sign of the previously shown emotion. "Your down fall came in the use of your knights. You were far too aggressive with them. Instead you should have had at least one pull back for insurance reasons."

The man from across the table snapped his gaze up to look the younger player in the eyes before he nodded solemnly. The Earl of Okinawa, a title granted to the man just three years prior for outstanding service in the Britannian Navy as an admiral, sat back in to his chair with a huff. A slight chuckle escaped his lips as he shook his head in disbelief.

"It seems you've beaten me fair a square." The man finally responded. His earlier arrogance now cast aside in the face of defeat. "A remarkable game I must say."

The teenager nodded amicably. "Thank you kindly sir. You yourself were quite a bit more than I was expecting when Mr. Ashford called."

The man snorted. "Yes, well he certainly didn't give me a fair description of your skills either." He had continued to survey the board. "I suppose it's my own fault for falling in to that man's trap. He may appear to be an old fool but he certainly played me like a fiddle."

The younger male remained silent to this.

"But I suppose that doesn't have anything to do with you." The man smiled wryly. "You just played the game in his stead."

"Yes sir." Came the response. "I just fill in for Mr. Ashford when ever he tells me too."

"A carefully executed and well thought out plan." The man remarked. "Do you even know what the stakes of this game were young man?"

"No sir." He lied easily. "I'd wagered on the way in that it was for a sum of currency."

"If only it were something so simple. No the price for this game was far more important. And it appears that my greed has gotten the best of me in this instance." He shook his head. "And to think a few short years ago I would have been sickened by the idea behind this game alone."

Again the younger player returned to silence. The man looked up and eyed his opponent for a moment. "Tell Mr. Ashford that I will complete the terms of our deal as soon as possible." He announced. "And also let him know this will be the last time I fall for his tricks."

The teenager stood up smoothly to his full height of nearly three full meters and squared his strong shoulders. "I'll be sure to let him know sir. And if you don't mind I'll take my leave."

* * *

The phone was picked up on the second ring.

"It's done." The teenager said before the person on the other end had the chance to even properly answer. There was continued silence before a gruff voice on the other end chucked with genuine amusement.

"I don't know why I keep getting surprised at this point. I should consider it to be a forgone conclusion with how well this little scheme of ours keeps working."

Lelouch choose to say nothing as he crossed the door way and back in to the afternoon sunlight and continued to walk away from the towering building that had served as the Earl's main office building.

"I trust he wasn't too troubling?" The man on the line inquired.

"Hardly." Came the easy reply. "I extended the game several minutes longer than I really needed to have. Partly because I expected something more but mostly because I didn't want for it to look to bad." A frown slid in to place. "I have to wonder how desperate for true competent military leaders Britannia is if it was forced to use a man like that as an admiral."

Ruben Ashford chuckled again. "Once again your hitting on a major problem with the Britannian system of things. The sole reason they've managed to conquer so many small nations so quickly is due to man power, an abundance of supplies, and of course the technological advantage of the Knightmare Frames. These three factors are the most obvious to consider when discussing the near two decades of dominance that have come about up to this point.

In retrospect the military doesn't have a need for overly competent leaders. Instead they promote just about anyone who can order troops around. That combined with a title of nobility will convince the actual soldiers that they're being led by skilled commanders. Ironically the nobility system that they've all become so proud of is actually making the military they boast about _weaker_."

"Something that will come back to bite them in the ass sooner or later." Lelouch commented as he approached his parked motorcycle.

"Hopefully sooner." The man in his early seventies added. "But at any rate I have to ask: What are you going to do now."

Lelouch shook his head with genuine amusement as he swung a leg over his bike. "Are you requesting me back?"

"Millicent has been pressuring me lately." The man answered honestly. "Calling me a bad influence on you."

"That's ridiculous."

"That's what I said!" The Ashford family head exclaimed. "I mean if anything _your_ the bad influence on _me_."

To that the teenager had no reply. After all, it was true.

"So I told her I would order you back here after you were done."

"Then you can also tell her how I ignored that." Lelouch countered as he pulled the helmet hanging on one handle through the visor. "I'll be visiting the doctor by way of the old subway tunnels. See if any progress has been made."

"Oh? I suppose that is a good enough reason. But I can't exactly tell her that."

"You could just ignored her." The teenager suggested.

"Impossible." Ruben stated firmly. "You know how she can get when things don't go her way."

"I ignore Milly when things don't go her way." Lelouch countered as he slid his keys in to the ignition.

"Really? That actually works?" The man actually sounding somewhat amazed.

"Not if she has tons of blackmail on you." He responded as he started his bike.

The Ashford head sighed. "So I'm effectively screwed?"

"Yes." Came the reply before the line went dead.

* * *

The motorcycle came to a halt at the edge of the road. He reached up and slid the visor to his helmet away as he looked down on to the large semi truck that had barreled through the railing and down in to a construction site. Smoke billowed in to the air from the hood and no movement of any kind could be seen. Lelouch frowned as he narrowed his eyes to see better.

_Was the accident my fault?_

A large part of him vehemently denied that conclusion considering the driver had been speeding like a maniac. But another part that rarely showed it's self countered by saying that he had been going at a rather casual rate to be moving on such a normally busy highway. The truck had swerved to avoid hitting his bike and had crashed through the guard railing.

_If that person is hurt, it'll be partly on my head._

He was not adverse to causing others pain, as evident by his former trade, but he usually tried to avoid it whenever necessary. And even if this wasn't a particularly similar situation to what he was used to the idea that someone could have been killed because he had become lax was a rather sobering one.

Any further debate was shelved when he glanced to his right and left to only find crowds of on lookers taking photographs or talking on their phones. Frustration and anger, two old friends, rose up quickly and rushed completely past his calm façade.

_And as usual the cattle chooses to simply stand a watch as opposed to taking any kind of action._

There was no other hesitation in his being. Without thinking another minute about it the high school student cautiously guided his motorcycle down the path of destruction and to the stationary truck. He brought his back to a complete stop still a fair distance away and cut the engine before knocking down the kick stand and dismounting. He removed his helmet and took a deep breath as he brushed the fringe of his raven colored hair away from his sweaty forehead. He slid the helmet in to it's usual place and slid the keys in to his pocket before glancing back up to the stationary vehicle embedded in to a large section of dry wall.

_I have to assess the damage to the truck first. He thought as he carefully stepped from around his bike. That smoke looks bad and I don't want the truck to blow up on me as I check on the survivors-_

All further thought was cut off for a moment as something near the top of the truck caught his attention. A flash of green light briefly illuminated his vision before fading away nearly as quickly as it came. He blinked to clear his eyes before shaking his head.

_What the hell? Am I seeing things?_

He took another deep breath and steadied himself as he glanced all about the truck and the surrounding area for any sign of a source. Finding nothing he frowned deeper before slowly making his way closer. Aware of the people still milling about on the highway a fair distance away he crept around the side of the truck and looked towards the area nearest driver side door.

No movement.

_The actual door is beyond the wall_. He thought with exasperation. _I can't get to them from this way._

Another glance brought his attention to a ladder attached to the side of the trailer. Seeing no other option he carefully approached the ladder before grabbing hold and climbing up on the top of the trailer. He glanced around until his eyes landed on a small opening barely two meters wide. He walked along the roof before dropping to one knee and peering in to the darkness of the trailer, his eyes squinting in an effort to see.

And then the engine roared to life.

The teenager's head snapped up at the sound and his hands reached out to grip the side of the opening. A full three second later and the truck jolted as it was put in to reverse. Thrown off guard by the sudden movement holding on was all that he could manage as the damaged semi truck defied all mechanical knowledge and smoothly slid free of the hole in the wall. And than the truck suddenly snapped in to full drive before speeding off back in to the direction of the highway.

Thrown off balance again Lelouch was tossed forward and through the opening in the roof, holding on to the edges for dear life. He gritted his teeth as his muscles clenched and the surprised screams from the onlookers reached his ears. Soon the truck had forced it's way back on to the high way and was speeding just as quickly as it was before.

_Damn, I can't pull myself up on to the roof at this speed!_

Seeing no other alternative the former mercenary let go and dropped down in the unknown.

* * *

The reports streamed in quickly. Various sources relying information as soon as it was made readily available. From his place in the command center of the _G1 Mobile Base_ Prince Clovis La Britannia looked over the proceedings with a critical eye. On the surface he appeared to be calm and at ease despite the chaotic situation spread out before him. In reality however his mind was a chaotic and nervous mess. Things were certainly not going to his liking.

"Where was the last reported sighting?" The Britannian prince _politely requested_ with a razor thin smile. One of the officers on the bridge turned to face him with a small stack of freshly printed papers clutched in his hands.

"Sir!" The man saluted. "It was around fifteen minutes prior. The vessel was loaded in the to the back of a truck and driven out of the facility. Inside were two terrorist, one male and one female, while the rest of the infiltration team covered their escape."

"Hm... How disappointing." The royal said through his teeth. He clenched his fist in frustration. "Do we have any idea of where they've taken it?"

"Yes. Reports from local law enforcement services mentioned a truck matching the description moving at high speeds down the high way. And about five minutes earlier we intercepted communications about a possible trash."

"Oh?" The blond haired man sat up straighter. "Do we have a crew in route to the crash site?"

The man giving the report suddenly looked away. "Well yes... But unfortunately we believe the vehicle may be on the move again."

The prince's eyes darkened a complete shade. "That is also disappointing to hear."

The man coughed nervously. Clovis eyed him for a moment before he shifted his attention away.

"Bartley!" He barked.

A round and bald man with a monocle turned to face him. "Your highness." He added a bow.

"Deploy the Royal Guard at once." The man ordered. "Once we have a good fix on a location we'll send in units of elevens to secure safe passage for a recovery team."

"A splendid idea my lord." The man responded with another bow. "I'll get right on it at once."

"See to it that you do." The prince added as he slumped back in to his casual position.

_I have to end this as quickly as possible_.

* * *

He landed on one knee with an audible thud. Lelouch instantly went still and strained his ears for any sign of movement. About a full minute later he allowed himself to stand at full height. His eyes scanned the darkness, relying on the light available from the roof opening, for any sign of another person.

Instead his gaze was directed towards two things. A distinctly large and bulb shaped contraction and the towering and unmistakable form of a knightmare frame. He squinted to make out which of the war machines was standing before him. When he finally found enough details he was visibly surprised by what he had found.

"An old Glasgow?" He muttered as he looked for any more details he could see in the dark. And indeed it was. One of the first frames ever constructed, used to devastating effect here in the Japanese isles. Now it was nothing more than an outdated piece of machinery.

_What is something like that old thing doing here_. He pondered silently. _And more importantly what the hell is _that_ thing?_

His gaze had moved by that point to the orange container that also shared the trailer. It didn't look like any kind of weapon that he had ever seen before. Perhaps an experimental device? A new type of transforming knightmare?

_My contacts would have mentioned something if that was the case. I wonder if this is a proto_-

"Stop the truck at once!"

On instinct the teenager dropped back down to one knee and darted his gaze around looking for the person who had spoken. It took a second longer than it should have for him to realize that the voice that had spoken had come from outside. And if he had to guess than the tell tale _whump-whump_ of rotors would lead him directly to the source.

"I repeat! Stop the truck at once!" The voice from the helicopter announced again as the sound got closer. "Refusal to comply will result in the worst possible scenario. You have thirty seconds and counting!"

Immediately after that the small door that connected the truck cabin to the trailer hissed before sliding open. Lelouch bodily dived behind the orange container and out of sight. His right hand quickly unzipped half of his jacket before diving between the folds, grabbing at the small pistol holstered under his left arm pit.

"Get ready to open the hatch Ngata!" A feminine voice called out in the darkness. Lelouch froze and waited with his hand wrapped around the pistol grip. "I'm going out in the Glasgow to try and get them off your tail!"

From his position out of sight Lelouch watched as a fit young woman quickly pulled off the uniform she had been wearing to reveal a make shift red pilot suit. She quickly rushed over the kneeling old knightmare and climbed directly on to the side of the machine.

_I know her from somewhere..._ The former mercenary reasoned as pieces of the puzzle began to snap in place deep within his mind.

"Kallen!" A voice called from the front, presumably the driver. Lelouch logged the name in to his memory. "Why don't we just use it here?! Use it on the Britannians?"

"Because that would be a massacre damn it!" The female snapped back at her unforeseen partner. "And it would be a horrible and hypocritical thing for us to do."

"I know that!" The male began to rationalize. "But we-"

"We're not terrorist damn it!" She all but snarled as she climbed in to the cockpit block. "And if we did that we'd be no better than them."

Lelouch watched as the young woman was sealed away from the world before the gray box slid in to the machine. Half a minute later and the mechanical warrior began to boot up it's systems as it stood from it's crouch.

"And besides!" The young woman continued through the loudspeakers. "They would respond by taking it out on the rest of the Japanese living around the world. Using the poison gas here would be the worst thing we could do!"

Lelouch blinked at the declaration. _Poison gas?_

"Now open the doors and keep going. I'll catch up to you when I can." She ordered from deep within the machine as it stepped forward towards the back of the trailer.

With no other argument to be made the man in the front seemingly gave up on trying to convince her to see things his way. The next moment the large loading doors in the truck opened to let in a rush of fresh air and sunlight. From his position Lelouch could see the highway racing away behind them as cars quickly pulled off to the side. Hovering in the air in pursuit were two VTOL gunships loaded to bear.

But before either of the air units could begin to fire a shot a lone slash harken raced past his position and out in to the sky where he slammed in to the lead VTOL. He watched in surprise as the cord attached to the frame suddenly went taunt as the metal anchor dug deeper in to the gunship's hull. The next second saw the red Glasgow race past him and out the opening on to the road speeding away behind them, where it activated it's land spinners and raced backward to keep pace with the truck.

The mechanical nightmare sharply turned it's body at an angle before it quickly retracted it's weapon. The skewered VTOL was forcibly pulled by the weight of the machine and sent in to a deadly tail spin, leaking fluids from the new hole in the bottom. The second VTOL quickly gained in altitude to avoid it's fallen brother before it unloaded a wave of hell on to the old knightmare.

From his position speeding away from the encounter Lelouch watched as the female pilot smoothly banked to the right to avoid the machine gun fire before raising the large assault rifle that came as standard equipment. She fired off a quick and stream at the floating air unit that forced the pilot to pull out of the line of danger. To most it would seem like an example of bad aim. But to Lelouch it was a sign of competence.

_She forced it out of pursuit. If only for a moment._ He noted as the red unit continued to bob behind them in a defensive position, even as they speed further away. _She didn't want to risk the VTOL hitting the gas tank and she couldn't take it down over the highway if she was serious about minimizing collateral damage_.

It was the kind of forward thinking that was hard to find in even a calm situation much less one of serious chance of death.

_She's good. _He reasoned as the back door to the truck finally slid back down. _Kallen wasn't it?_

* * *

The time for patience had long since faded away.

"A Knightmare?" The prince of Britannia ground out through clenched teeth as his hands mirrored the action. Silence had fallen over the command center.

"Yes your highness!" There was a different man reporting to him now. The first was too scared. "An old Glasgow your excellency."

"A Glasgow." The blond man deadpanned. "Your telling me your losing to a _Glasgow_?"

The new officer suddenly envied the genius of the last one. "Um... Yes sir?"

The tension in the room kicked up another notch. Clovis stared back at the man with an extremely serious look on his face. His eyes narrowed in an attempt to show just how much pressure he was under at the moment. An indication that he was due to blow at any possible moment. Even general Bartley, a trusted advisor, had began to hold his breath as if anticipating the prince to suddenly develop heat vision and melt the man standing before his impromptu throne in to a stain on the floor.

"And what are you going to do about this new development?" The tone was devoid of any emotion. The men standing around the bridge quickly realized that this was a Clovis la Britannia that was usually hidden away behind smiles and extravagant actions. They were in real danger here.

"I suppose it would be a good time to deploy military forces as opposed to the police your highness?" The suggestion sounded more like the squeak of a mouse as opposed to that of an actual man.

"You _suppose_?"

"I respectfully suggest your highness." The man quickly corrected.

"I think that's a fine suggestion." The man turned his gaze back to the bald general. "Make it happen Bartley."

* * *

The crash had been the result of a blown tire, a lucky shot from one of the remaining pursuers. The trailer on the back of the truck had listed to the side before finally falling over, dragging the actual truck with it. Lelouch himself had been bodily thrown from onside of the trailer and in to another, almost being smashed to bits by the heavy orange capsule he had been forced to share the enclosed space with.

So he was kept there, pressed down by the kinetic force, as the truck slid across the ground and crashed in to various objects before finally coming to a complete stop. Eventually the momentum was spent and the sounds of screeching metal was replaces with eerie silence and the echo of falling rubble.

He forced his aching body up and out of the newly formed hole, bypassing the orange blob that started all of this trouble, before dropping his body on to the ground in a heap. He shook his head to disperse any further cobwebs as he glanced about the surroundings in front of him.

"Well I'll be damned." He muttered in equal parts amusement and amazement. "These are the tunnels."

And indeed it was. The tunnel system under old Shinjuku, now a ghetto created by a mixture of Britannian oppression and Japanese neglect. These tunnels had been the result of old subway systems and old underpasses that had become abandoned after the fall of Japan. Instead of tearing them down Clovis La Britannian had elected to ignore them in favor of further building his the infrastructure of the various settlements.

As a result the tunnels served as veritable highway on which to secretly transport good and man power for the various resistance groups in Area 11. They were a direct result in why this particular part of the empire had become such a hot bed for native resistance despite the fact that it had been under Britannian control for close to a decade.

And they were also where Lelouch had been heading before this wild adventure had began.

_Not necessarily the way I planned it._ He mused as his eyes adjusted to the light filtering in through the various cracks in the ceiling. _But I suppose the end result is still acceptable. _

He stood up and brushed away the dust and dirt that had latched on to his clothes before shaking his head to detaching anything that had reached in to his hair. Violet eyes scanned the area for any signs of danger, glancing back down the way that they had came and then towards the cabin of the truck. Sure that there was no one in the immediate area he then turned back around to face the truck and moved his attention to the metal contraption protruding outward.

"Poison gas." He murmured as the pieces to the puzzle started to fit in to place. "What an idiot you are Clovis."

To his intelligent mind it had become brutally obvious to what the facts in front of him presented. Clovis had been experimenting with something that he most certainly shouldn't have been. Something that was sure to get him in to a lot of trouble with people up above him if it had been found out. Because despite all of the numerous peace treaties Britannia had chosen to ignore there were a few that they held up to with ardent standards. The one banning chemical warfare was one of them. It was, after all, one that the emperor himself had a hand in developing.

And due to the fact that the Clovis' entire administration was crooked and lacking in any kind of morals Lelouch could easily figure out how things had gotten to this point. After all he himself had bribed people for information several times. So it was not out of the realm of idea that someone else had found out about the poison being developed from loose lips. From there it was just the matter of passing on the information to the sort of types that could be exploited through rash actions. Hence these terrorist.

Which brought things back to the current point. Somehow this rag tag group of insurgents had managed to actually pull of the heist necessary to steal the damn thing. But like idiots they were quickly found out and chased across the entire settlement. He himself had just happened to come across their truck and in an act of human kindness gotten himself mixed up with things.

Just his kind of luck.

_Clovis will be desperate to find this thing_. He reasoned as he stepped closer. _If he doesn't the price on his head will be too high. Being disowned would be the l_east_ of his worries._

Of course that forced him to consider what would happen if Clovis couldn't re-take the capsule. There was a good chance that, given his cowardly actions in the past, he would simply choose to detonate the device. For that matter this entire thing could just be one big trap. A leak that was planted for the sole fact of deniability.

If Clovis activated the device now, this deep under Shinjuku, he could test it's effectiveness while having a ready made group to take the blame. He could even spin it by saying the efforts on the highway were an attempt to save lives. That would save him any kind of trouble while allowing him to further his own research. A complete win from his point of view.

But that would require a level of thinking that no one his cabinet had shown up to this point. A new player? And was this really Clovis' gas? Or was that just a necessary cover from the crown? He wouldn't put it past Charles Zi Britannia to stoop to such low levels. But that also would go against everything the man had done up to this point. Why go to such desperate measure to develop a chemical based weapon when most of the world was still struggling to catch up to the effectiveness of the Knightmare Frames?

_At any rate being here isn't the best idea_. He thought with a frown._ I need to get out of here and get to the doctor. Maybe move him out of the entire area just in case._

It was a disappointing conclusion but the only one he could make at the current moment. He simply didn't have enough information on the current contents of the container to determine how effect it would be. And despite the fact that Doctor Tanaka lived on the outskirts of Shinjuku he was still in a possibly vulnerable position.

_It's time for me to leave-_

His ears caught the light sound of someone attempting to quietly step up behind him. Trained reflexes had helped him to move long before the flying kick that had been launched at his back had even the chance to make contact. He dropped down in to a crouch and rolled backward as his assailant glided over his head.

Lelouch sprung up to his feet and dashed forward to meet his new adversary. The man, in a Britannian military uniform, quickly rose to meet his approach. The raven haired teenager feinted a left jab before snapping off a quick side kick with his right leg. The effort was avoid by a quick hop backward before the solider transitioned in to a spinning high kick aimed for the head. It was blocked cleanly by a raised arm.

Lelouch quickly reached out and snagged the ankle before turning his body and using his superior strength to launch the man over his shoulder. The assailant hit the ground on his back in a huff but instantly lashed out with his free leg, catching the teenager off guard. Lelouch stumbled a step to the side as the solider rolled back and up to his feet before rushing forward again.

"Enough mindless murder!" The man snarled as he lashed out with an open right palm. By now Lelouch had recovered and brushed aside the attack before taking a hard step forward. His right hand returned to slap away a rising left knee as he invaded the man's guard, before snapping off two quick hooks with either hand in to the abdomen.

The man stumbled back as the air was forced out of his lungs by the sheer strength of the attack. Lelouch didn't give him time to recover before he slammed another hook home, this one a left to the jaw. The solider was nearly spun around in to a full circle before a follow up front kick to the chest sent him spiraling back to the ground in a heap.

The former mercenary rolled his shoulders as he looked down on to his beaten opponent. A hand came up to brush against the spot where he had been kicked, clean on the edge of his chin. It was a good strong kick that would leave a bruise in the morning. But right now the only thing bruised was his ego.

_I've gotten sloppy_. He thought with some measure of distain. _I let him sneak up on me and land a good hit_.

The situation was only made more embarrassing when he finally got a good look at the man's uniform. A private.

_I just let a green solider fucking land a hit._ The disgust mounted. _Old man Hirigawa would be sick._

It was just the sort of wake up call he needed. It was clear that his impressive skills were quickly beginning to apathy with lack of use. Which meant that he needed to do more to challenge himself if he wanted to proceed with his plans. Light spars and beating on a group of thugs doesn't compare to the real thing_._

_"_You scored a good hit." The teenager snarled in part frustration as his hand slid back in to his jacket as he reached for his pistol. "But this is as far as you go-"

"Wait!" The solider exclaimed as he forced himself to sit up by using his elbows. "Lelouch?!"

The former mercenary blinked in surprise before his face went completely solid, dead of all emotion.

"How do you know my name?" He questioned in a monotone as his hand wrapped around the grip to his gun.

Instead of immediately responding the private sat up completely before he reached up and removed the helmet obscuring the upper part of his face. Green eyes stared back at vibrant violet with just as much shock and surprise but still a good measure of reserved joy.

"It's me! Suzaku! " The solider exclaimed as he gestured with his hands. "Kururugi Suzaku!"

Lelouch blinked again, the steel look in his eyes falling away under the weight of his own surprise. He removed his hand from his jacket as he squinted to get a good look at the face of the man.

"Well." He muttered in reply as he tilted his head to the side. "What do you know. It is you."

It was at that moment that the capsule sprang open with the hiss of pressure and a cloud of smoke swept over them.


	2. Intervention

**Disclaimer: I do not Own Code Geass in any shape or form. But I do own the originally ideas and characters present in this story.**

* * *

**_July 22, 2010 ATB_**

**_Area 11 (Formerly Japan)_**

The cell door slammed open with a resounding boom. The small bundle dressed in rags was startled awake by the sound of rusted metal coming in to contact with stone walls. It had been sometime near two full days since he had last had human contact, a blessing and a curse. That was two days of starvation. Two days of silence. A part of him was looking forward to the next round of experiments that were sure to come. After all, for as horribly painful and traumatic as the experience had been up to this point it was better than just sitting here and waiting to die. Besides, more test meant that he was still useful. It meant that his life still had some kind of tangible value.

But another part lamented what was sure to come. It was the part of him that had been yearning for death for the last few months. This part of him was looking forward to the silence and freedom his demise would bring. A way out of the torment that had plagued his young life up to this point. This was the part that had longed to see his mother and younger sister again, and tempted him with the idea that he had nothing to be ashamed about if he had just let go.

And then there was the third part of him. The one that had never, even up to this point, given up the idea of escape. It was the part that was most like his younger years. This was the part of him that still used his brilliant mind to plot and plan. It looked for ways of keeping track of time and thought about possible chances for leverage. This third of him was fueled by rage beyond measure and fed by the idea of revenge against all of those that had wronged him.

It was to this part that he looked to when things had grown most bleak.

The sound of footsteps started somewhere behind him and grew closer. Slow and tentative in their approach. He took a deep breath and shifted in an attempt to roll over and face the door. It failed, his body far too weak from lack of nutrients. A sigh of frustration was expelled from his mouth. No escape for him today.

But then he noticed that the footsteps had stopped cold behind him and a measure of renewed despair had run through him. Perhaps they would kill him on this day after all. If that was to be the case then so be it. It wasn't like he could do anything to stop them from shooting him in the back anyway.

_"I've found someone alive in here!"_ Shouted the voice of the man standing behind him. The small prisoner made to answer before his mind discerned what the Japanese words had meant in English.

_Wait! What?_

It was then he realized, accompanied by the rushing sound of numerous pairs of feet, that perhaps he would be getting to leave after all. And that maybe that third part of him would get what it wanted most.

Revenge.

* * *

"I don't understand!" The confusion on the soldier's face was evident. "This doesn't make any kind of sense."

Lelouch snorted as he rolled over on to his knees. He had been knocked to the ground by the other teen in an attempt to save him from the 'poison gas'.

"The hell it doesn't."

He stood up and stretched as he looked down on to the source of all his problems. From her position lying on the ground she looked back at him with her large and bright eyes, the curiosity in them flooding over. He stepped past the downed body of his childhood friend and stepped over to the captive woman. His violet eyes traced over the form laying on the ground.

The first thing he noticed about her was her state of dress, dull gray robes that covered her form and even half of her mouth. Her hands and ankles were bound at the wrist by think pieces of cloth and her eyes were a mix between orange and yellow. Her hair was a bright lime green that fanned out around her in a halo effect. For the most part she looked like a perfectly normal and healthy young lady. The situation she was in said otherwise.

"It's actually extremely obvious if you know how to look at things from the right angle." He said casually as he knelt down next to the bound female. "Clovis was doing something he wasn't supposed to be having a part in. The terrorist found out and decided to do something about it. So he mobilized the military in an effort to cover up the fiasco." His tone was as casual as a weather man reporting the chance of rain in the next day's forecast.

"Doing what?" Suzaku questioned as he rose to his feet behind the other teenager.

Lelouch could only shrug. "That's the million dollar question. I can only imagine what about this girl is so horrible that he was willing to lie about it. Choosing something as serious as chemical warfare as a cover up means that it is something that he is desperate to keep quiet."

"Exactly!" An entirely new voice exclaimed. "Which is why we've been giving free reign to do anything necessary to keep this from reaching the public!"

The two childhood friends turned around to face the opposite direction only to come face to face with the squadron of Britannian soldiers loaded to bear. The lead man in front stepped forward with a sly grin sliding in to place on his face. In one motion he pulled free his hand gun and leveled it at Lelouch.

"Even if that means killing a few little rats."

_Aw Shit..._

* * *

"Sir! We have a problem!"

Clovis La Britannia turned his irritation on to the man who had come to stand before him. This was the third different reporting officer in the past hour, the last two having been scared witless by the idea of an angry member of the royal family. It spoke volumes about their survival instincts.

"What _now_?" Each word was strained as he fought to maintain his composure.

"It's the your royal guard sir! We've finally found them!"

To this the blond haired man perked up. "And?"

"It's not good sir." The officer reported. "A small group came across them and the remains of the terrorist vehicle. Early reports indicate an explosion of some sort. Most of the truck is in ruins and of the people nearby only two of them have survived, both having been taking to the medical ward with serious injuries. Both are also members of our military."

The prince's hands curled up in to fist. "And the container?"

The officer slowly shook his head. "Nothing there sir. It looks to have been opened but that's the only indication that any thing else had happened. Reports are actually surprised it had managed to survive the truck's explosion. It said volumes about how sturdy the design really was."

"So your telling me." The prince began speaking slowly. "That once again this group of eleven _trash_ has managed to evade members of the Britannian military? Including members of my royal guard?"

"Um... Yes sir?"

"I see."

The man went completely still, his eyes devoid of the usual vibrant life. Silence descended on the bridge as they waited for the explosion that was sure to follow. Finally the blond prince opened his mouth before he snapped it shut again. Sighing he leaned forward and looked down at the floor. His hands rose up to either temple and rubbed at the oncoming headache. Then he sat back in his chair and folded his hands in to his lap.

"There doesn't appear to be anything else we can do." His voice monotone. "It's clear to me that only one path is now available."

His hands came together in his a single fist as he scanned the room before making his decision.

"Order a complete purge of the Shinjuku Ghetto immediately. No exceptions."

* * *

"Well, that was a close one."

The raven haired teenager leaned forward to let down the girl who had been hanging over his shoulder. Her vibrant orange eyes stared at him as her legs wobbled from suddenly being asked to stand on her own. He stepped back as she leaned against a wall to hold her self up, glancing back down the pathway they had come for any sign of pursuit. There was none.

"Kurugi Suzaku." He muttered. "Even in the end he was a true comrade. And to think I was considering shooting him just minutes earlier."

His attention slid back to the woman standing before him, her eyes still filled with curiosity. He reached up and began to fully unzip his jacket. before he reached inside one of the pockets and pulled free the butterfly knife that he always carried with him.

"That explosion was pretty damn fortunate." He began as he flicked the blade free. "We were in a precarious position. I'm not sure if even I would have been able to get out of there without any help on my best of days let alone with the luck I've had today."

The girl still did not say anything, instead her eyes traced the edge of the knife in his hand.

"I think that it's time to get out of here. But first..."

His arm flashed forward, blurring in to motion. She flinched backward at the sudden motion and waited for the familiar red hot pain that accompanied a slit throat. Instead tension loosened from around her arms and forced her to look down. She blinked as he pulled her hands to either side, realizing suddenly that the teenager in front of her had sliced cleanly through her tight bindings. She watched as he bent down and repeated the procedure on for the bindings on her legs.

He pulled back and watched as she worked the stiffness out of her arms before sliding his knife closed and dropping it back in to the jacket pocket. Then he reached out to the opposite side and pulled his pistol free of the holster. He held it before in the air in between them with the barrel pointed to the ceiling above.

"We'll be splitting up from here." He announced so that her attention would be pulled back to him. "I'm going to leave you with this to protect yourself. If you've never used it before I'll explain it for you. Here is the safety. When you want to fire you flick it in the opposite direction, then you get a good grip, aim and shoot." He mimicked each motion so that she could see. "There's a pretty nice size magazine. Twelve shots should get you to safety if you use them right."

In response she simply continued to stare, eyes wide with shock and curiosity.

"I don't know what Clovis wants with you. Or what you've done that so horrible. But I want to give you the benefit of the doubt considering how tame you've been up to this point. Also I don't exactly have a lot of love for the Britannian empire so anything that gives them trouble is something I have interest in."

He dropped the gun on the ground in front of her and looked her in the eyes one last time before stepping backward. He turned away and began to walk down the tunnels in the direction he had been previously carrying her.

"So long." He called out as he waved a hand over his shoulder.

She watched him walk away until he was swallowed up by the darkness of the tunnel before she reached out and grabbed the gun on the ground before her. She picked it up and turned it around in her hands before settling it in to her grip with trained ease.

"What a strange boy." She murmured as she rose to her feet. "Strange... But interesting."

* * *

The man frowned, his eyes being drawn to the ringing cell phone lying on the corner of his desk. Odd, not many people knew the number to this phone. And those that did would not have called him at this time of the day without good reason. He picked it up and looked at the caller id. The number was one he was familiar with. His finger pushed the receive button.

"Lelouch?" He half questioned. It had only been two hours since their last contact. They usually didn't speak on the phone so often. "Is something the matter."

"You can definitely say that." The answer was cryptic and not what the old man expected.

"What's that supposed to mean." Then he heard it. The rapid popping sound combined with the scream of a young woman. "Is the gun fire? Are you at an arcade or something?"

"No. I'm in Shinjuku." Came the cool reply from the younger male. "Where the Britannian military is attempting to purge the inhabitants. And by purge I mean murder in cold blood."

"What?!" The man shot up to his feet from behind his desk. "What the hell is going on there?!"

"To make a long story short." Lelouch began. "I stumbled in to a precarious situation. Clovis has been doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing. Some terrorist found out and stole his little secret. And now he's going to have everyone killed in order to cover up his mistake."

There was a thread of silence as the man attempted to process what the younger was telling him. He sat back down in to his chair in a huff and buried his forehead in to one hand. Lelouch remained silent on his end as his eyes scanned the world in front of him. He had taken refuge in the ruins of a run down two story house. It provided him a bit of cover and allowed him to look down on to the chaos spread out before him.

_This is just too much_. He thought with disgust. _I've killed people in my time but never innocents who were just minding there own business. Clovis has really turned in to a horrible person_.

"Just how bad is it?" The Ashford head's voice sounded more strained than anytime Lelouch had ever heard it.

"Men and women. Young and old. Children of all ages." Lelouch intoned quietly. "No one is being left alive on this day."

A soft curse was heard and Lelouch heard the older man set the phone aside. He could only imagine that the old Knightmare Frame developer was taking the time to collect himself. To Lelouch it spoke volumes about the man on the other side of the settlement. But then again he shouldn't expect for anything less considering the fact that he had allowed Lelouch's mother to rise to prominence as her backing despite her commoner upbringing.

"Have you heard anything about Hiroshi?" The older man asked next. "You were going to visit him if I recall."

"Yes." Lelouch replied as the familiar rumble of a knightmare caught his ears. "He's fine. He had a spot in his basement to hide out and was already secure when I got to him."

A sigh of relief was heard. "Thank goodness. I hope this will at least convince him to consider my offer for lodgings at the school."

"I doubt it." The teen said as he crouched down next to the window. Hopefully the Knightmare pilot wouldn't be using his factsphere to search for thermal signatures.

"What are you going to do now?" Ruben inquired. "Can you get out of there or will be you go back to hide with him?"

"I'm not quite sure." Lelouch responded as he peered over the window. The knightmare had come to a stop in the middle of the street not far from his own location. It was turned in the opposite direction as if searching for something. "I know it would be smarter to just leave. But I haven't been making the necessarily smart decisions to this point."

"Then maybe it's time to start." The man's voice had turned gruff. "I'm looking at the news here and the only thing being reported is a traffic jam. So if you get far enough away people won't be able to-"

"Wait!" Lelouch barked as he noticed something. "I think this knightmare is..."

He narrowed his eyes to see better. Sure enough the cockpit block had slide out of place and opened up. Lelouch watched as the pilot of the frame repelled down to the ground and entered in to a house. While leaving his knightmare fully operational.

"There's no way anyone can be that stupid." He announced as he looked over the scene before him for any sign of a trap. "There's just no way that man had just done that."

"What? What's going on?" The Ashford head half questioned-half exclaimed. "Is something the matter?"

"No. Quite the opposite in fact." Lelouch hissed with a grin as he stood up from his hiding spot.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, that I've figured out just what I'm going to do."

* * *

The old Glasgow raced down the barren streets of Shinjuku at break neck speed. The young woman at the helm panted as she gripped the controls tightly. The one armed knightmare bobbed and weaved though the run down portion of old Japan as she desperately tried to evade her pursuers.

It was all for not. A sharp right turn sent her right in to the path of another enemy Sutherland, this one also sporting the colors of the notable _Purist Faction_. She bit her lip as she whipped down another side street just in time to avoid a wave of bullets aimed at her war machine. Jeers and calls for her to surrender sounded out over an open radio broadcast. She ignored them as best as she could as she directed the old weapon away from her enemies.

Another wave of bullets sliced through the air behind her. A few scored glancing blows on to the knightmare and dinged off the metal. She jerked the controls to the left as another knightmare suddenly dropped down from a building a few meters in front her, gun already raised to fire.

"Damn it!" She hissed as her lone weapons, the two slash harkens, reached out to anchor in to a nearby building. She used them to help swing her frame out of the path and down another street before she retracted them to her frame. A few seconds later and gun fire was again assaulting her frame from behind, this time aimed at the land spinners that propelled her away from danger.

She nearly lost her composure when a few shots landed near her knightmare's legs. The frustration and desperation began to mount deep down inside of her, driving her to continue on further. A quick glance down at her dash showed her energy reserves. It was down to twenty percent.

Kallen Statdfelt, or Kozuki to some, narrowed her eyes as she desperately searched for a way out of her current situation. There was nothing she could find. When she had first deployed out from the back of the get away truck she had been intending to simply give her allies time to put a sizeable lead away from the Britannian forces. Then there had only been a squad of vehicles and two assault choppers in their review mirror. That had quickly changed with the arrival of two Sutherland class knightmare frames.

In the ensuing battle on the highway she had managed to knock one of the two new frames out of the race but had lost the right arm to her Glasgow to the more experienced pilot in the second, a member of the purist movement. Still with the hours of practice she had put in well before the operation she had been able to hold off her second enemy and escape in to the Shinjuku area. Amongst the buildings she used her superior knowledge of the layout to disappear and maneuver to safety under the assumption that she had succeeded in her assigned task.

A foolish notion in hindsight.

Instead of taking the time to search for the resistance movement that had scored a successful victory against the viceroy's oppressive rule the Britannian forces had simply chosen to kill everyone. After all, sooner or later they would get to the ones who had been foolish enough to raise their head against the imperial overlords.

The young woman's stomach did a flip as her factsphere sensor sent information streaming on to her console. Dead bodies littered the streets in various directions. Children who had been at play and adults who had been coming home from a hard day's work were joined together in piles that dotted the landscape. It was a sickening sight that would cause the head of any decent human being to turned.

A sight that was brought about by her group's neglect.

_We've got to do something._ She thought with determination as she dodged down yet another street, two Sutherland on her tail. _This is all our fault so it's our responsibility to do something about it_.

The million dollar question being: What?

_If only I could get rid of the Knightmares_. A jerk of the controller sending her barreling down another street. _Then maybe the others could find a way to fight back-_

"Head west!"

She started, loosing her focus for a moment before her gaze narrowed. Blue eyes glanced down at the display before her. That hadn't been a general communications announcement. It had been directed directly to her. But from where?

"Head west now!" The voice returned and commanded. She looked down to the console again, sure that she was hearing things.

"Who is this?" She barked. "How did you get this signal?"

"I scanned for the one with the people speaking in Japanese." The voice on the other end deadpanned. She bristle at the condescending tone. Sure that the person on the other end was mocking her.

"Why the hell should I do anything you tell me to?!" She demanded with genuine rage. The voice on the other side sighed.

"Because I'm the one who's here to clean up the mess you've created." The tone had gone from mocking to annoyed. "Now move unless you want to die."

"You-" She started to argue before another wave of fire from behind her brought her back to her current situation.

She bit her lip as she thought over her options. The first thing she noted was that this was all an elaborate scheme made up by her enemies. There was a high chance that when she followed through with the directions she would navigate her knightmare straight in to an imperial ambush. It would fit perfectly with the way Britannia had worked in the past and would also serve to put an end to the biggest resistance they had on this day.

On the other hand in the off chance that the voice on the other side was speaking the truth and could indeed help to save the people it would be up to her to do whatever she could to help. That included sucking up her pride and assisting the annoying person on the other end of the transmission. In the end her choice was obvious.

_I've got no other options._

She jerked her controls in the opposite direction and raced along the streets to find... Nothing. The area was clear of any immediate signs of danger despite the number of enemies that crawled around Shinjuku. Her knightmare scanned the area around her for the half expected ambush to start at any moment. Instead the only enemies in the area were the ones that were quickly trailing behind her.

_Where the hell did they all go?_ She mused with frustration.

"Now what?" She demanded as her instruments continued to search the surrounding area for any signs of hostiles. "I'm in position."

"There's a railway above you about twenty meters ahead." The voice immediately responded. "Jump on to it and continue heading west."

She gritted her teeth as she located the location in question. A gentle push on to the accelerator had her racing towards the target. Her slash harkens sprang free and shot high in to the air before latching on a nearby wall. Using her land spinners in conjunction she scaled the side of a building before detaching her anchors and launching her frame on to the tracks.

_So far so good_. She thought as she forced the land spinners to make contact with the rails before racing along and in to a nearby tunnel.

She soared along the railway with knowledge that her two tails were still in hot pursuit. In the distance ahead of her a pinprick of light shined down the path and grew progressively larger as she quickly approached. Her heart leaped in to her stomach as she realized what it was. A train.

The voice returned just as doubt had begun to seep in to her mind. "Since you believed me your going to escape with your life. Latch on to the ceiling and swing on to the train!"

With no other option ahead of her she followed the directions to the exact letter. A split second later and her Glasgow was racing along the top of the train as the brakes to the metal behemoth screeched below. Her knightmare swung on the set of wheels and began to ride in reverse as she searched for the two Britannian soldiers in her wake.

Her attention had returned just in time. The lead of the two had been caught with no place to go. The rather inexperienced pilot could do nothing but scream as the de-accelerating train smashed his Sutherland to bits without losing the slightest bit of it's remaining speed. However her victorious grin was short lived as the second knightmare followed her up using the same exact strategy. The markings and slight damage revealing it as the one who had started the chase nearly an hours before.

But before she could even thing about her next move her mysterious benefactor intervened one more time. As soon as the purist Sutherland touched down on to the top of the train a wave of assault rifle fire blindsided it from the left. Unlike the others who had been chasing her before hand she noted how nearly every bullet from the small burst found purchase on to the intended target, with the last few ripping one of the frame's legs apart at the knee.

"What?! Enemy reinforcements?!" The outraged voice of the purist was projected over an open line. "You there! What's your unit and rank?! We're after that one armed Glasgow!"

His response was another wave of bullets. This time they were even more accurate and took away the right arm before the automatic ejection feature spirited the pilot away from danger. Kallen stared at the scene with wide eyes as her sensors fed her data, her knightmare sliding to a stop along with the train.

"W-What?" Her disbelief was practically palpable. "Where in the hell did you get a Sutherland?"

Her frame turned it's head to look in the direction the shots had came from only to find nothing. It was as if the man on the other side of the transmission had disappeared as quickly as he had first appeared.

_Where did he go that fast?_ She thought with astonishment as her factsphere searched for information.

"Kallen!"

"What?" She turned the sensors to the edge of the tracks. On the ground nearby stood members of her resistance squad looking back at her. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of her comrades alive and well. "Ohgi! Is that you?"

"Yeah!" The lead man waved up at her. "Did you get called here too?!"

"Yes!" The knightmare descended to meet them using the slash harkens. "That crazy voice on the radio brought me here."

"Crazy am I?" The radio suddenly growled. "That's the thanks I get for saving your lives?"

The group started as the voice returned over the open line. They exchanged a glance at each other in something resembling shame.

"Um..." Ohgi began. "I'm sure she didn't mean to insult you-"

"It doesn't matter." The voice on the other in cut in. "If she meant it or not has no bearing on what comes next. Tell me, are you the leader?"

The Japanese man blinked as he glanced down at the hand held radio. "Yes."

"Then listen carefully." Their mysterious benefactor began. "Your group has brought the Britannian military down here on to the innocent populace of this area. It's because you neglected to carefully think out your plans that the people here are dying."

The Japanese man bristled and his fist clenched. "I already know that! We were only trying to help."

"And your going to help. Starting now." The voice demanded. "As of right now you've all been drafted in to my service for the duration of this operation. You do what I say and you beat back the Britannian forces and save the lives of the innocent people here in the ghetto. Do you understand?"

The group blinked again in surprise. "Umm... Okay?"

"Good. Than I'll explain my plan to you-"

"Hang on a second!" Exclaimed a red haired man after he snatched the radio out of his leader's hands. "Who the hell are you?!"

"That isn't important." The man on the radio responded. "You don't need to know who I am and I don't need to know who you are."

"Then how will we know what to call you?" The girl in the knightmare inquired suspiciously. "You can't expect for us to follow you without some sort of trust to form."

There was a snort. "In this line of work you don't have the liberty of trust _girl_. Sometimes you have to work with people you absolutely hate. Other times you have to watch out for the person you've known for years. As of right now our goals are the same. I want to save the Japanese people here just like you do. That's our _bond of trust_."

The group of Japanese terrorist fell silent at the proclamation. The leader stared at the radio in his friend's hand before something caught his attention. A suspicious nagging in the back of his head forced him to spring in to action.

_Save the Japanese_. He thought with a frown as he reached out to grab the radio back.

"Wait a second." He started before he took a deep breath. "Are you even Japanese?"

"No." Came the immediate reply. "I am a full blooded Britannian."

A cry of discontent shot up from the gathered group at the declaration. From her position in the knightmare the young half-Japanese woman gripped her controls tightly as a wave of anger rushed over her. There was some Brit bastard pulling them along? But just before they could say anything further Ohgi showed just why he was the leader.

"Alright then." The man stated firmly. "Just something I noticed."

"W-What?!" The red haired man from before questioned with a gaping face. "What the hell do you mean by that?"

"I mean that we don't have a choice Tamaki!" Ohgi snapped back much to his comrade's surprise.

"Of course we have a choice!" The easily riled Tamaki argued. "Anything is better than working with a damn Brit!"

"That _Brit_ can hear you." The voice on the radio coolly interrupted. "And he can also see why that man is the leader compared to you."

If at all possible Tamaki seemingly grew angrier. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means we don't have time to argue." The voice calmly countered. "Every second you do means that Clovis' forces draw closer and the people living here keep dying. It also means that, even if only for one day, you have to put away your hypocritical stance and work with someone you don't want to. Just like I've already said."

The girl in the Glasgow growled. "Hypocritical?"

"Yes. You are hypocrites." The voice responded. "You claim to hate the Britannian ideals and yet show the same racism that you criticize them for on a daily basis. That's what we call being a hypocrite."

"T-That's not true!" The girl protested.

"Oh? Then why do you have a problem just working with a _Britannian_ now?" The man questioned. "Even after everything I've done up to this point to ensure your survival? The truth is it's the color of my skin and physical features. If I had lied and said I was Japanese you would already be moving."

A blanket of silence covered the group. He was right.

"So if there isn't any further questions." The man continued as if things had already passed by. "I'd like to know your answer now."

The members of the terrorist cell took the time to look at each other one last time in an attempt to see if anyone else had any real reasons for objection. There was none. Even the previously outspoken Tamaki simply looked away when his leader attempted to meet his eyes.

"We're in." Ohgi announced in to the radio when he was sure everyone was on board. No one else said anything to the contrary.

"Excellent." The voice sounded satisfied. "Then as a peace offering I present to you the contents of the train to use as tools for victory. With them I can lead you to a resounding win on this day."

The leader of the small terrorist group frowned. _Win?_

"What does he think he's talking about?" The young woman in the Glasgow muttered as she moved her knightmare towards the train. The door to one of the train compartments gave a hiss before sliding open to reveal the contents. "Making such bold declarations-"

Her line of thought cut off immediately as her camera showed off the inside of the train. She blinked twice to make sure she wasn't seeing things before moving her knightmare back a step as she attempted to get a better view. From his position on the ground Ohgi frowned as he looked up at her one armed knightmare.

"Kallen!" He called out as he walked a little closer. "What is it?"

Instead of responding verbally she moved the knightmare completely to the side and out of the way. The man frowned before his gaze caught sight of what was in the train. His mouth dropped open in to a gape as tried to rationalize that what he was seeing wasn't a figment of his imagination. A gesture that was copied by the other members of his terrorist group.

"No way!" The ever loud Tamaki shouted as he stepped closer. "Are those really-"

"Sutherland caliber frames." A young woman with long blue hair cut in with an exhale of disbelief. "It's a train full of Sutherlands!"

"Quick Kallen!" Another member said, a man with short hair and glasses. "What about the other compartments?!"

"Oh! Right!" She quickly moved the one armed Glasgow in to position. Sure enough the next two compartments each had three of the fifth generation knightmares. "There's some weapons in here too! I think this was a military supply train!"

"Exactly." The mystery voice cut back in. "This train was taking a detour through Shinjuku using these older tracks as a short cut. Clovis had ordered for the next shipment of knightmares to be delivered double time despite not really having a need for it. The result was sending the train along a different route, one that took it right through the ghetto. And now they belong to your group."

The group of terrorist ran about like excited children at the proclamation, each calling out for a frame reservation despite the number of them. Ohgi had instead chosen to continue and stare in disbelief. The idea of what was playing out in front of him was almost too wild to believe.

"Hey!" He shouted as he brought the radio back up to his face. "How did you know about the train and where to stop it?"

"Two reasons." The mysterious benefactor responded without pause. "One, I have contacts in the Britannian military who pass along simple information like this all the time. And secondly, the information display on this purist knightmare. The military usually relays important information to various sectors of the military force. And the man before was of noble blood so that means that he was informed. From there it was just using the information at hand to my advantage."

The Japanese man blinked as he thought over how simple the answer presented to him really was. He had expected for some convoluted and complex response that would leave him with more questions than what he had started with. Instead the voice on the other end had been upfront about everything that had happened so far.

"And how did you get the train to stop here?" He questioned as he stepped closer to the train.

"That was simple." The voice answered. "These trains are more often or not unmanned due to advances in technology. In this instance there is a sensor not unlike those on a knightmare that relays information about things on the tracks. If a large enough blockage is detected it starts an emergency stop procedure until a unit comes to investigate. And a Glasgow is more than large enough to be considered a blockage."

The girl inside said frame blinked at the answer. "So when you had me jump on to the tracks..."

"It was a two fold objective. One was to stop the train. The other was to provide the opportunity to get rid of your pursuit."

The two lead members of the group took the time to process that information. Ohgi frowned, more in discomfort than in disappointment. Was it really so easy for this strange Britannian man to plan so far in advance at a moments notice? Such a thought was more than a little frightening. Had he perhaps planned for the contingency that they wouldn't follow his lead? If he had said no to the offer what fate would have befallen his little rag tag resistance group?

The idea was one that gave him a moments pause.

"At any rate we'll have to move quickly to make up the ground we spent talking." The man on the radio began to order. "For now have everyone of your group pick a knightmare. I trust that you all have at least some experience in piloting that Glasgow?"

"Um... Yes." Ohgi replied as he made his way to the train with the radio tight in his grasp. "We've all at least tried it once. She's just the best pilot we had."

"That's fine. I just wanted to know if you'd have any problems moving the Sutherlands. As it stands you shouldn't, the controls are nearly identical. Have everyone gear up and prepare to move. Girl in the Glasgow!"

"Uh yes!" She exclaimed more than a little surprised the man had called for her specifically. "What is it?"

"You'll need to stay in that old unit." The man ordered. "Current radio chatter still has them searching for your Glasgow which means they have no idea we've taken these spare Sutherlands. We'll use that to our advantage by making you a decoy to start things off. How much time do you have left on your energy filler?"

"Um... Around ten minutes." She replied after a glance at the instrument, somewhat disappointed that she wouldn't be getting a Sutherland herself.

"Then refill and re-arm yourself. I'll call back with directions and designations in the next few minutes. For now I'll be moving to a higher vantage point to coordinate tactics. Even though I have a solid grasp on what General Bartley and Prince Clovis will do there still may be unforeseen changes. It'll be crucial that everyone follow directions to an exact point if we all want to get out of here alive. Understood?"

"Perfectly." Ohgi interjected as he reached a free Sutherland.

"Good. Then I'll be moving out."

"Hey!" The Japanese man called out before the man on the radio could fully disconnect. "What should we be calling you? If not your real name then give us something so we don't sound like idiots asking for 'voice on the radio'."

There was solid moments pause where the man had thought the other wouldn't answer. And than at the last moment the radio crackled to life once more.

"Call me Zero."


	3. Counter-Attack

**Disclaimer: I do not Own Code Geass in any shape or form. But I do own the originally ideas and characters present in this story.**

* * *

_**November 30, 2010 A.T.B**_

_**Hida Mountains, Area 11**_

They clashed together with a thud of bamboo sticks. The two combatants, one old and one young, became a blur of movement as they each struggled to land a blow on the other. Advanced techniques and relentless effort went in to each collision. The student and the teacher danced across the mat as they put their skills to the test against one another.

Hirigawa Saito was used to disappointment. As the thirty-second head of the illustrious Hirigawa clan, who religiously practiced martial arts and shinobi tactics as a way of life, he had come to expect it. Over his two decades as clan head he had seen many would be students drop out of his teachings due to inability to keep up with his harsh and strict teach methods. Some left in a bouts of anger. Others cried and lamented their own failure. He'd even had some who had died under his tutelage.

But never had he had someone who had excelled as easily as his current student did.

It had been four months. Four months since they had found the young boy locked in a dark cell, a lone survivor of the horrendous experiments that had been conducted at the makeshift Britannian laboratory. The old prison had been converted in to a place of disgusting science in less than a month after Japan had formally surrendered. It was the information he had received about the sick and twisted research involving Japanese children that had forced him to intervene.

In the first twenty minutes of their search in to the lab they had come to find well over two dozen dead bodies crammed in to a few small cells. Children who had been stolen away or orphaned because of the sudden war had been used to further a mysterious agenda. What they had been hoping to accomplish Hirigawa would proabably never know, the lab having been recently deserted of any personal or information by the time they had arrived.

As they continued their desperate search for life amongst the ruins of hatred things had only seemingly become more bleak. But just as he was about to give up and conceded the operation as an utter failure one of his group had found life amongst the dead. A single Britannian child who's skin had not saved him from the horrible experience.

Despite his young age the boy had been more than willing to share the nightmare of an experience and assist in any way he could. The child who appeared to be only a decade old spoke of having been strapped to a table and pierced with various needles. He told the old man of screams in the distance and cold metal tables. Hirigawa knew that he was holding the worst back, perhaps to protect his remaining psyche. Or maybe even to protect the old man himself.

In the end Saito was happy to know that they had at least saved one life from the abyss. Even if over a hundred other young ones had to die in his place.

That of course had led him to an important question. What to do with the boy.

The boy had given them a brief over view of his life. He had spoken of being former Britannian nobility. And that his life had completely changed not a full year prior when his mother had been viciously gunned down in their own home. He told Saito the tale of how he had reached the Japanese isles. He spoke of the sister who had been lamed and blinded under the assault. And how supposed 'allies' to the family had left them to fend for themselves without even a second thought.

He told the horrible tale of having to bury his own mother, with none of his so called friends or extended family bothering to show up to the funeral. And how he had stayed by his younger sisters bed side during her brief coma. Then he told Hirigawa of the hateful man who would be called his father. About how his mother's death was waved off as insignificant and how his sister had been called 'weak' for simply being nearby when the gunfire had started.

Hirigawa listened to it all. About how his father had thrown their lives away and forced them to Japan only months before the invasion had began. About the bomb that had fallen on their small shack hours before the first Britannian ship had been sighted. About how the boy dragged his sisters corpse from the remains and buried it in an unmarked grave. He listened about the boy's flight from the assassins that had come to finish the job. And his subsequent capture by the team of deranged scientist who tossed him in to the back of a truck filled with Japanese children.

Yes, Saito took note of everything the boy said and researched everything he did not. He had quickly come to learn who the boy really was. He had come to understand the reason for the omission and the truth about the façade of strength that had been put up. He knew of the fear that the boy harbored deep inside of him. And how that fear fueled the rage that had drove him to survive everything he had been put through to this point.

But most importantly he knew of the hatred that flowed through the child's veins.

It was because of this last emotion that he had made his decision. Because he had lost his own brother to the drive of revenge that he had decided to keep the boy. And it was because of the wellspring of hatred deep within the ten year old child that he had desperately sought to instill true discipline in the hopes that it would shy the boy away from the dark path that he was setting down.

A decision that he regretted in hindsight.

Instead of teaching the boy control he had taught him how to fight. Instead of showing the boy how to breath he had taught him how to direct his anger. Instead of curving the hatred he had instead curved the path. And now he was out of things to teach and ways to save. Now he was at his wit's ends.

_It should not be possible._ The old man thought as he skillfully dodged a blow with grace that defied his age. _It should not be possible for someone to learn this much in so little time._

And yet here he was, struggling to land a clean blow on a boy nearly five decades his junior. A part of him wondered if it was something else. Perhaps whatever the Britannians had been hoping to create had worked far better than they had thought possible. In fact he had become almost certain that not only had the boy refused to simply die from the effects, like the scientist had been planning on, he had instead thrived under those awful conditions. Something that would fit with what he had learned about he child up to this point.

Most importantly it had become clear to the old Japanese man that he could no longer help the boy. That what he was doing would cause more harm than good in the long run. And that perhaps it would have been more merciful to simply put a bullet in the child's head all the time long ago.

_A horrible thought. But one with merit_. He mused silently as he held up a hand to stop the spar clean.

The boy halted immediately and bowed his head in respect before dropping to the floor and waiting for the next step of instruction. Saito instead just stared down at his youngest ever pupil. Both amazed and afraid of the thing he had an unknowing hand in creating. The idea of what the future held for the boy sitting in front of him was one that caused both curiosity and his nerves to stand on end.

_He needs an outlet_. He thought with remorse. _Something to put his hatred in to before it ends up swallowing him whole_.

And he knew just where to find it.

"That's all for the day Lelouch. I have a few phone calls to make. Your off for tomorrow as well."

Hirigawa Saito walked away from his bewildered pupil with the intent on making another play. There was only one other thing he could think of if he wanted to save this lost soul. And there was only one other man who could help him do it.

_Ace owes me. The boy will be his problem now..._

* * *

"Can you move it? Like I said before the Sutherland is similar to a Glasgow."

"Yes." Kaname Ohgi replied with some annoyance seeping in to his voice. "I've already reassured you we've all had at least some practice."

"Good." Zero said, choosing to ignore the man's annoyance. "Then get everybody in to position P-1. We only have five minutes in to show time."

Ohgi, or P-1, sighed but complied with the request. Urging the others to follow suit he angled his new knightmare and drove down a nearby street. The five minute deadline left him more than enough time to get to his position. Still he hurried as best as he could without outright rushing. After all, it wasn't fair that he was allowed to somewhat take it easy when one of his group was out there being hunted down like an animal.

_Kallen should be okay_. He reasoned despite the growing tension in his shoulders. _She's managed this long and now she's got us to back her up._

Still, he couldn't help but push the accelerator forward a little bit more.

_I wonder if we can really do this. It seems so far fetched_. His hands gripped the controls tighter. _But this Zero guy seems to be extremely confident_.

The question was where did that confidence come from? The man had said recently that he wasn't nor had never been part of the military but clearly he had a strong grasp on the various terms and strategies that would suggest a militant background. Ohgi's head had been left spinning from the private radio session in which the mysterious Zero had question the effectiveness of his little terrorist group. The level of detail the man had requested and his subsequent changes to the strategy had been staggering and flashed a genius that Ohgi knew he could personally never match.

_Is this something that Britannian's have in common? Are there that many men and women in their society who can think on such an advanced level?_ The idea was a frightening one. _Perhaps Zero is a noble of some kind and this is all just a game to him. Is that why the nobility is so arrogant?_

The idea was farfetched. But that didn't stop him from considering it as an option.

"The operation will begin in one hundred and thirty seconds." Zero's voice declared over an open line. Ohgi blinked before he realized that he had nearly overshot his destination so deep in thought. "Q-1 is currently en route to point A. There are three enemy Sutherland's on her tail. Units P-1, P-5, and P-8 will fire through the small gap between the two buildings to their immediate left. The enemy will walk right in to the line of fire."

"Everyone double check your weapons." Ohgi demanded as his knightmare settled in to position. This was it. The moment of truth.

"Hey! Can we really do this?!" P-5, aka Tamaki, exclaimed. "I mean, these damn things don't even have IFFs. What if it's a trap?"

"They don't have IFFs because there fresh from the assembly line." Zero interjected. "And the Britannian forces hold the overwhelming advantage. They don't need a trap. I'll be using they're arrogance and your lack of an IFF against them. With this purist knightmare I can see their units but they can't see you."

"Yeah but-"

"Get ready Tamaki!" P-1 barked as his knightmare raised it's rifle. We have less than twenty seconds."

Any other conversation was cut off as they waited. A silent countdown was shared between the members of the terrorist cell. Ohgi felt his palms begin to sweat as he struggled to control his nervous breathing. His shoulders hunched over and his body began to shake with anticipation. A flash of red rushed by the opening between the buildings. Kallen in her Glasgow.

The countdown entered the final stretch.

_Five... Four... Three... Two... One..._

"FIRE!"

The three stolen Sutherlands pulled down the triggers to their standard issue assault rifle all at once. A cloud of bullets rushed over the open land scape and down the slim opening between two walls. Ohgi's heart leaped in to his throat as he jammed the fire button down and stared out in to the world through his camera.

And just as soon as the first bullets cleared the two buildings three flashes of blue came in to view. The enemy Sutherlands were caught completely off guard by the sudden hail of gunfire. The first two had no forewarning and thus no chance. In less than ten seconds the two frames were reduced to scrap metal and the two pilots were forced to eject under the strength of the sudden attack. The third managed to stop and pivot on it's landspinners in an attempt to counter attack. Something that would cost it dearly.

"Die damn it!" P-5 shouted out as his knightmare continued the assault.

The final Sutherland barely managed to lift it's own rifle before the rain of bullets ripped through it's body, hitting the core on the inside of the machine and forcing it to explode in a rush of flames. The pilot died instantly, no chance of ejection allowed.

"Holy shit!" Tamaki shouted over the radio as his knightmare dropped it's rifle. "Freaking worked!"

"Everyone do exactly what the voice says!" Ohgi announced as a rush of exhilaration flowed through his body. "Move as he says and fire when he wants!"

"Good work men." Zero announced over the radio. "And you as well Q-1!"

"Thank you!" The young woman in the Glasgow shouted in response, excitement evident.

"Everyone get ready. It's time to make history."

* * *

Clovis La Britannia eyed the woman standing nervously in front of him.

"What do you mean _wiped out_?" The day's frustration was beginning to mount quickly. Everything had seemingly been going well just minutes ago before a sudden disturbance had forced one of the communications specialist to stand up before him. "How was a group of Sutherlands _wiped out_ by one Glasgow?"

The woman was a relatively pretty thing, thin and blond with bright green eyes. Right now those eyes were wide with terror as a bead of sweat slowly trekked down the side of her face. "We aren't sure sir. The pilot perished before he could finish his report on the situation."

Clovis couldn't not help the sigh of exhaustion that escaped his lips. "Then send someone to find out. Re-locate another two Sutherlands to the last known coordinates and get me an answer as soon as possible. This has been taking far too long. I have more important things to do than to sit here all day watching over you."

The woman squeaked an affirmative before she scuttled away. Clovis watched her go before he sat back further in to his chair and steeped his hands in front of his mouth. A grimace stretched across his face as a wave of unease swept threw him. Something told him the longer this day lingered the more likely it was to come back and bite him in the ass.

_I can't let the homeland know what happened here on this day._

* * *

"Be advised B-1 and B-7, an enemy VTOL is due from the west in eighty-three seconds. Shoot it down." He shifted in his chair. "P-4, N-3, and N-2 are to make there way to the old library located two hundred meters to their southeast. A group of four Sutherlands will be moving through the area at a casual pace. Eliminate them."

Lelouch calmly surveyed the information displayed on his dashboard with the confident ease born from experience. The role of operational commander had come back to him as easily as running did to a former athlete. Despite his time away from the active field things had been relatively simple once he had gotten back in to the role. The skills and confidence that had been honed at the foot of his mentor had apparently not dulled in the slightest.

_Everything has been going according to plan so far_. He thought as he followed the order to chain his radio frequency. _They don't even know what's happening to their soldiers at this point._

"P-1 and P-5 need to move ninety meters southwest and from there twenty meters further west. You should come to a cross roads with a building on each street corner. Q-1 will be drawing two additional enemy knightmares in to that area in the next ten minutes. Be prepared to meet them."

After getting a conformation response Lelouch took the time to look about the battlefield from his place high in an abandoned skyscraper as he switched his radio over the Britannian line. His factsphere sprang free and surveyed the surrounding area, taking in additional information that the eye could not see. He glanced down at the readings with a frown.

_I've gotten spoiled. But that doesn't mean this standard issue factsphere isn't complete shit._

Still it more than did enough. From his position he could survey the entirety of the battlefield while still maintaining a strong enough position to intervene when needed. Not that he would have to enter the conflict at this rate. Clovis' forces weren't putting up any sort of resistance.

Still, no need to get cocky.

The crackle of the radio drew his attention. He listened in to the reports from the Britannian feed before he shook his head in disappointment. It had taken them long enough to figure it out. But a part of him did want to see how far his forces would manage to keep the element of surprise.

He clicked the radio back to the terrorist line. "All forces be advice that the cover is blown. I repeat, they now know we have their Sutherlands."

* * *

_How is this possible?!_

The blond prince seethed silently as he watched his supporting staff dissolve in to chaos around him. There had finally been a person able to report before their knightmare had been taking apart. The news that the group of terrorist had someone managed to obtain access to their own military grade equipment was troubling to say the least. But when you add that to the fact that they were using said equipment to such a devastating effect? That went well beyond troublesome.

_And just who the hell is commanding them with such efficiency? Is this Tohdoh? _A trickle of fear wormed it's way in to his heart at the idea. He could not afford to fail to that man on this day. The results would kill him in the political arena.

"Bartley! What are you going to do about this?"

The round general turned to face his royal benefactor. Sweat had long since began to form over his person as time after time his counterattacks and maneuvers were rendered ineffective against the group of elven terrorist. He had tried everything from feints and wedges to even changing the communications code several times in the event that they were being intercepted. Nothing had seemed to be working.

"We'll have these scum wiped out soon enough my lord!" He seemed to shrink under the gaze of the smaller man. "In the end they'll prove to be no match for the might of our great and powerful military-"

"Silence fool!" Clovis cut in coldly. "I've heard enough of your excuses on this day to last me a life time."

The prince stepped down from his command chair and stalked over to the tactical display in the center of the room. He leaned forward and placed his hands on to the side of the waist length table as his eyes scanned the pieces laid out before him. A fierce look slid in to place over his face as a realization came to him.

"All of you have been beyond worthless to me on this day. I've been extremely disappointed by your lack of control despite the numerous attempts to make up for your previous failures." His words were biting and caused the various men and women on the bridge to flinch. He didn't care. "Everyone of you except Bartley is to leave at once! Since it seems that wiping out a single cell of terrorist is beyond your combined capabilities I'll be handling things from here on out!"

A bead of silence was held as the various officers in the room stared at the prince with open surprise. Clovis felt his rage nearly double.

"That means get the hell out of here!" He all but snarled. "Now damn it!"

They couldn't reach the doors fast enough.

* * *

"That girl in the Glasgow is really quite skilled." Zero muttered to himself as he watched a small battle from his new vantage point. "Piloting talent like that is exceedingly rare to find in these early days of knightmare frame warfare."

Below his position on the roof top of a small building he watched as the red and outdated knightmare engaged in one on one combat with a single military Sutherland. The blue frame turned in a semi circle with it's land spinners as it fired off a volley of bullets in an arc at the terrorist knightmare. To Lelouch it was clear the pilot was keen on keeping it's distance from the outdated weapon.

Undaunted the one armed Glasgow shifted it's body weight to one side and calmly rolled towards it's adversary. It ducked in to a crouch as the splatter of bullets neared it and cleanly passed under the gunfire. It rose and accelerated in one motion as it's twin slash harkens fired free of the body. The military knightmare quickly put it's wheels in to reverse in an attempt to stay out of range from the attack.

It was useless. The first anchor sliced deep in to the wrist of the gun wielding arm as the second slammed in to the shoulder on the opposite side, both manipulators quickly rendered useless. The Glasgow reeled in the two appendages as it accelerated again in an attempt to get closer.

"And to think talent like this is wasted in these slums." Lelouch remarked with a wry grin as he watched the rest of the fight despite the obvious outcome. "Letting someone like this slip through their fingers is just another folly on the part of Britannia. And it's all because of their racism and arrogance."

The young woman had glided the old machine out of the path of the Sutherland anchors with the ease of an expert. He watched as the pilot of the military frame panicked before ejecting prematurely. Lelouch snorted as he pulled his own Sutherland back two steps away from the edge of the building. The girl didn't even need to use her own rifle.

_Now than, if my assumptions are correct then any minute now Clovis will be taking personal command._ Zero mused silently as he turned his Sutherland around. That next instant there was another crackle of radio chatter and a familiar voice came over the line. _Right on time._

The former mercenary tuned his radio back to the terrorist frequency. "The battle has now entered in to another phase." He announced over the line. "Prince Clovis has now personally taken command of the enemy movements."

There was an instantaneous wave of discontent among his makeshift army. He listened to the sudden complaints with a grin. The people in his group of would be soldiers were under the assumption that Clovis was some sort of military genius in his own right. He would quickly rectify that misassumption.

"Do not fear. If anything this means things will have been largely moving in our favor. This is a sign of desperation on Clovis' part. Rest assured his ability as a commander is only marginally better than that of general Bartley. If you all continue to follow my commands we will be victorious on this day!"

His words had the desired effect of improving morale among the terrorist. In one motion he switched his radio back to the Britannian line before he began to formulate the next few steps of his battle plan. Sure enough, the orders being relayed to the Britannian soldiers were even more predictable than before. He shook his head as he listened to the orders being issued. The current plan of attack was really quite horrible.

_It seems that time has not been kind to your tactical prowess Clovis._ He reasoned as he switched stations again. _Our previous encounters will do wonders here and now. I shouldn't have any real problem matching up against you._

"P-1, P-5, R-3, and B-4 all need to move to these set of coordinates. We'll be taking advantage of the short sighted planning of our enemy once again." He ordered before he rattled off a latitude and longitude.

Once he was sure things were moving in his favor he turned his knightmare to the east before he peered off in to the distance towards the command center. Thoughts and plans began to run though his mind at breakneck speed as he evaluated the next step in his counter attack.

_Things have been going exceptionally well up to this point. Too well in fact. Experience has taught me not to rely on this trend to continue._ He shot his slash harkens in to the side of nearby building before he moved his knightmare to leap forward and used the anchors to repel to the ground. _I have to move towards the end game as soon as possible._

The Sutherland dropped to the alley way as Zero continued to plan. It was obvious to him that things could only turn in a few ways from here on out. Although he had heard nothing on the radio chatter about reinforcements he knew better than to just assume that Clovis would take this continued beating lying down. There was a strong chance that he had already ordered for contingent of new knightmares, or maybe even an entire regiment, or soldiers to be brought in from a nearby base. A transportation VTOL would be more than suitable if the prince felt he was strapped for time.

And there was also the chance he was hoping to use his remaining forces to draw out the battle for the chance to secure an even more fortified response. Although he was sure Clovis was desperate to keep things under wraps he didn't want to bank on the idea that the man wouldn't give up on the idea of keeping this a quiet affair. There was a strong chance that the man would simply choose to use overwhelming force and numbers to wipe out any remaining resistance and then spin the news how he wanted to later.

_If there's one thing I can say in Clovis' favor it's that he knows how to work a crowd. That natural charisma has the nobility eating out of his palm. And to the royalty they're the only ones who really matter when it's all said and done_.

Zero was sure that if Clovis did have to come clean he would be able to alter the truth just enough to cover up what had really gone on here. After all, who cares that a few hundred elevens died if you could take out a major sector of the Japanese Liberation Front? And that was just one of the excuses the man could use. There were many ways in which the prince could get away with mass-murder on this day. And no one would dare to question a royal.

It was the sad truth about the state of the world.

_That means it will be up to me to end this conflict._ _And soon_. He reasoned as he drove his knightmare through the back alley. _I'll have to go right to the head of this snake and chop it off there. But in order to do that I'll have to find a way past his defense or perhaps even remove them completely_.

A grin slid on to place.

_Piece of cake._

* * *

Clovis grimaced as another group of his Sutherlands were destroyed. His plan of a feint had blown up in his face. There had been four stolen knightmares to greet his troops coming up the west side of the ghetto. His soldiers had no real chance to defend themselves from the forces firing through the walls. The terrorist knew when and where his men would be appearing and had left no chance to even consider finding cover.

_Who the hell are these guys?!_

He had considered a number of possible answers up to this point.

The most likely one being that he had unknowingly run in to the hiding place of the JLF who were now putting up a strong battle in the effort of defending the people. But all of his sources had said that the largest resistance movement in Area 11 had long since moved out of the area in favor of marshaling their forces else where in a base that had remained hidden to him for the entirety of his time as Viceroy.

That in turn made room for some of his more wild ideas. Was this perhaps a movement by some intrepid noble looking to make a move to better his standing? Could the entire operation have been one big trap in order to have him personally intervene? Would he return to his palace and seat of power to find someone else sitting in his chair prepared to have him killed or blackmailed?

Was this an attempt to get rid of him from the Chinese Federation or the European Union? Could they have infiltrated Britannian soil without him even knowing? Or were they even the ones who were controlling the terrorist from the shadows? Like a puppet master manipulating strings from a far.

_So many questions and so few answers._ The blond prince gritted his teeth. _The only way I can get to the bottom of this is by destroying what's in front of me_.

"Bartley! We have to move the soldiers here!" He exclaimed while pointing on to the map at a single spot. "Have all units surround this area and slowly close in on to the center-"

"Yuuuhooo! Prince Clovis!" The prince could only snap his head up and blink, dumbfounded. The face of a man with light purple hair and blue eyes framed by large glasses had appeared on the large monitor hanging high on a nearby wall. "I see that your having a little difficulty! Might I be of some assistance?"

"Damn it Lloyd! I don't have time for this." The prince snapped back. The man on the screen frowned before his face disappeared. "Now as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted. We'll have to send everyone to this point at once!"

The round man at his side shifted awkwardly. "But your highness! We don't have the forces necessary to make that kind of push!"

"Then take them from the encirclement." Clovis replied with a wave. Bartley gaped at him.

"That may leave us vulnerable my lord! We'd have lost a good portion of our protection."

"We know the forces are concentrated here!" Clovis argued with fire. "So why not go and destroy them head on? That's what I'm doing!"

"But your excellency-"

"Order it now!" The man all but snarled.

* * *

Lelouch stared down at his tactical display with a mixture of amusement and surprised. Amused that his plans had been working so well. Surprised that Clovis was stupid enough to actually choose to break up his own encampment. A dry chuckle rose up as he bowed his head and shook it in disbelief.

"He really did that?" His gaze returned to the dash and a large smile broke out at the sight of the still moving IFFs. "He honestly did! He really ordered that! There were at least five possible choices, twelve if one looked hard enough, and he honestly choose the worst possible response."

In the cramp enclosure of the knightmare cockpit Lelouch reached in to his pocket and reached his cell phone. He placed it on the corner of the nearby dash before he brought both hands together and rubbed them in anticipation. Despite his earlier paranoia this was only getting easier by the second. He reached out and tuned his radio back on to the terrorist signal.

"This is it everyone. End game." His tone had hardened once more to signify the significance of what was to come. "The enemy is moving in to an advantageous position. Which means it's time for us to strike."

He rolled his neck before grabbing the controls to his knightmare tightly and starting to roll up in to an abandoned parking garage for the refuge inside. As he turned around each curve to raise himself higher and further away from street level his mind finished settling in on the final touches. This plan would work.

"Q-1! Do you have a map of the old settlement? This Britannian knightmare doesn't." He requested when he reached the very top of the structure.

There was a brief pause before the woman in the Glasgow responded. "Um... Yes! But it doesn't have any real landmarks."

"That's just fine. We won't be needing them." He paused to collect his thoughts. "All units are to converge on to my previous position before descending in to the abandoned subway tunnels. Once there they will continue to follow the tracks south while firing a single slash harken in to the ceiling every twenty meters. Around the three hundred meter mark Q-1 is to pull back to the end of the pack before firing both of her slash harkens in to the support pillars. And with that all completed we'll have the enemy on the ropes."

An enthusiastic set of responses met his orders as his little army moved to follow his directions. The former prince looked down to his tactical map as he changed the radio station to make sure the Britannian forces were still moving in to the expected position. Sure enough Clovis' forces had surrounded the area and were moving in at a steady pace. Clovis had seemed to believe that he had pinpointed the core of the terrorist resistance. Just what Lelouch wanted him to think.

To them it was wrapping a noose around the neck and slowly tightening it. To him it was the enemy walking right in to the jaws of his trap.

From his position he could already see some members of the Britannian forces rolling along at full speed in to the area of operation, completely unaware of what is going to be happening to them when they arrived. He took the time he had before the trap was sprung to resume his earlier phone conversation. The Ashford family head picked it up on the first ring.

"Lelouch? Is everything alright?"

The teen made an affirmative noise. "Better than alright. Things have gone far better than I would have dared to hope."

"You were successful in evacuating the residents to safety then?" Ruben inquired. "And the terrorist agreed to follow your direction?"

"Yes on both accounts." He confirmed. "And our counter-attack has been more than effective. In fact I'm putting the finishing touches in to place as we speak."

"The finishing touches?" There was audible confusion in the man's voice. "I thought you were planning to organize a retreat."

"I was, until we actually started." He shifted in the seat and watched as the dots of Britannian IFFs closed in ever closer. "It turns out Bartley and Clovis were far more inferior than I had originally believed. He hasn't gotten any better at strategy despite his current position. He's just made a _horrific_ mistake in the effort of trying to finish the terrorist off. And I'm going to make him pay dearly for it in just a few minutes."

"You can't be serious..." Ruben only sounded more distressed and confused. "Are you trying to say your about to _win_?"

"Why do you sound so disappointed?" Lelouch asked with genuine amusement. "At any rate I'm just going to clear out the remainder of his current forces before ordering the terrorist to retreat deeper in to the old tunnels with as many of the residence as they can. Just in case Clovis has some stupid plan like bombing the ghetto in frustration."

There was a shuffle of paper on the other side of the phone. "What about reinforcements?"

"Possible, and I am expecting at least one other surprise on this day. But so far nothing has come up." He glanced down at the display. Nearly every remaining Britannian knightmare was in place. And the terrorist should be finished at any moment. "It's about time for me to make my move towards the command center. Clovis has gotten rid of over half his encirclement in the hopes of this final plan of his. If I can get rid of the remainder of his guards or find a way past them I can move to him directly. Perhaps I can force him to call a cease-fire before things get too hectic."

"It's already hectic." Ruben deadpanned.

"Fine, more hectic." Stressing the _more_ part. "I just wanted to give you an update. If I don't return within the next three hours or initiate contact with you than expect the worst. I'll also try and convince the doctor to come with me. The tunnels won't be as safe here for him after the landscape has changed so dramatically."

"Changed? What are you talking about?"

A large tremor shook the earth with enough force to even reach high on the parking garage. Lelouch grinned in victory as a resounding boom echoed across the land and a cloud of smoke and dust rose high in to the sky. He gripped his controls tighter and chuckled as the various screams of the Britannian soldiers flowed out from over the radio.

"_That_ change."


	4. The Lancelot

**Disclaimer: I do not Own Code Geass in any shape or form. But I do own the originally ideas and characters present in this story.**

* * *

_**August 9th, 2014 ATB**_

_**Nuremberg, Bavaria. Germany.**_

The small apartment was Spartan in it's décor. Peeling yellow paint dotted the walls and a permanent layer of dust gripped the wooden floors. The two bedrooms and one kitchen were the only places available for sitting. Two windows were the only source of ventilation and the only source of entertainment came in the form of an old twenty inch television seated on an overturned bucket. There was a single stove, a microwave, a refrigerator, one couch, and three beds.

Usually the current conditions would be just fine. The small group of mercenaries who went by the moniker _Bl__ackwatch_, would rarely if ever stay in one place for more than a few weeks. As a result they had become rather used to living on the move and sharing cramped living conditions until the next assignment arose.

Today officially marked the second month.

Amaya Duvalle, codenamed _Mercy_, sighed in irritation as she tried in vain to fan herself with the magazine in hand. This had been a particularly trying time for her to say the least. The woman could confidently say that the time she had spent in one place for so long over the past decade could be counted on one hand. It had become her nature to consistently relocate. And despite the fact she knew logically that it was necessary for he to stay put she still didn't like it.

Using a pale hand to brush aside the fringe of her navy blue hair the woman of thirty-three moved her gaze towards her left. From her position at the kitchen table leaning back in one of the rickety wooden chairs she could clearly see the two other occupants of the small room. Her yellow eyes narrowed in on to the youngest member of their little unit. Seated on the edge of a nearby counter with a book textbook that she was certain would be too advanced for a normal thirteen year old to begin to comprehend was the ever composed and ever quiet Zero.

The young man was one giant mystery. And Mercy hated mysteries.

With a frown the woman shifted her gaze away from the strange pale skinned youth and towards the other man in the room. Rolando '_Ace_' Drake was their leader and unofficial binding agent. The former Britannian soldier was also a maze of lies and truth. But Mercy had learned more than a few things about the man in her three years serving under him.

The most important thing she had figured out from her usually silent observation was the man's heritage. Due to her early years as a member of special forces in the French sector of the EU military she had developed several tricks that could be used to identify a person. The first being his general looks.

Tall and lean, firm square shoulder, a strong sharp jaw line, light blue eyes and dark brown hair flicked with speaks of gray. These factors combined with his manner of speaking and self confident gait led her to believe that if she bothered to look hard enough she could easily find a connection to the vaunted Britannian nobility.

The next thing she had taken note of was his gruff yet seemingly friendly demeanor. Ace was the kind of man who could charm a woman out of her knickers with the intention of giving them right back. He had a smile to fit every occasion and met everyone amicably. In truth it was something that had confused her when they had first met. The idea that the man smiling brightly at her was asking her if she wanted to abandon her home country and join his group of hired soldiers caught her completely off guard.

Then there was the part of the man that was dangerous. Ace was the type who's entire demeanor could change without his face moving a single muscle. There had been a number of times when his sudden shift in personality had thrown her for a loop. Like one instance where a man who had been attempting to shaft them in negotiations had been told under no uncertain terms that if he double crossed them the resulting action would leave even his family unable to recognize him.

Ace had said it all with that same smile in place.

That was about as far as she had gotten on that front. The only other things she had successfully learned about the man was that he boasted exceptional leadership skills and had the physical prowess to match. She had seen him disarm a group of three men holding him at gun point with as much efficiency as he could knock a man from his sentry perch with a high powered sniper rifle. There were times that he could disarm a situation and cause an enemy to fold with just a few choice words. And then there were the times when he could use a pistol to off as man people in the span of ten seconds as she could with an assault rifle.

Yes, Mercy was both annoyed and impressed by the man. Annoyed by the fact that he was so much better than her. And impressed by the fact he was that good to begin with.

She drew he attention back to the younger of the two males. Young Zero had been with Ace as long as she had known them. At first she had been under the assumption that perhaps the boy following after the man had been his son. That had quickly been put aside when the time to recruit her had come. After Ace's initial pitch had been met with some resistance he had walked away to give her some space. Or that's what she had thought at the time. In reality he was giving the floor to his younger and more serious counterpart.

She was of course initially appalled. The idea of a child soldier was one that didn't sit right with nearly anyone regardless of their personal feelings. There had been a dark rage that had filled her suddenly and the stirrings of what she would do to the man who had inducted an innocent child in to a dark profession...

And then Zero introduced himself formally.

Looking back on it Mercy was still a little put off by how creepy the boy had been. His tone was dead and his eyes were hollow. He was a beautiful child for the most part, large for his age and pretty to look at in a way that was clear for everyone in both races to see. In fact his size had originally led her to believe he was older than he actually was. But Mercy was quickly forced to realize that Zero was anything but a sweet innocent boy.

It was hours later when they had been alone that Ace had explained. The boy who he had picked up just a few months prior was an example of everything wrong with the world. The child had been scarred on a deep emotional level that would likely never heal. But Ace and a good friend of his were at least going to try and lessen the pain. Even if that meant helping the boy down a dark path.

_"He told me Zero was the only one left alive from some horrible sort of experiment."_ It was the first time to this day that Ace did not actively wear a smile. Instead his rugged features were pulled in to a pained grimace. _"Hundreds of children had died but this kid pulled through."_

She could remember sitting across the table at the small bar she had pulled him in to. A cold beer in her hands as she listened to the story with intent. Even back then her curiosity had gotten the better of her. And so she sat and waited for the man to finish the haunting tale.

"_It was, ironically, a Britannian experiment."_ The man had told her. "_One that was set during the early occupation of what is now Area 11. They were snapping up children right off the street with no one to stop them. New orphans just trying to survive... Kids looking for a bite to eat. Even pulled them right from their parent's arms."_

The disgust the man radiated was palpable. She had been quick to share in it.

_"For what reason?"_ She had asked, her English slightly accented. _"What were they doing to them?"_

The man shook his head. "_No clue. The freaks were long gone before my friend and his group had gotten there and had taken everything of value with them. They were sure that every kid was dead but he made them check every room just to be sure."_ His hand had tightened on the beer in his grasp. _"It's a good thing they did too. Zero was a skinny little thing covered in cloth. Tons of puncture marks on his arms and a sort of wild look in his eyes. But he was still alive."_

The man who had been smiling hours before now looked down balefully at the table between them.

_"The kid has apparently had a lot of shit happen in his life. That was just the most recent of it. I didn't want to press but from what I did hear I could understand why I was stuck with him. There's a darkness in that boy. The kind born from pain that no man should have to go through let alone a child. My buddy attempted to help him get back on track. Eat healthy and exercise to get him fit again. But than the kid just asked for more. And my friend started to train him in an attempt to instill some sort of control and discipline."_

A frown had filled her face. _"Train him?"_

_"Martial arts and the like."_ Ace had replied. _"Real serious stuff, like you see in the movies. He tried to give the kid the worst of it, something to preoccupy him while he could get some emotional control. The kind of stuff that's supposed to take near decades to gain some kind of proficiency in. Only problem is that the kid ran right through the it instead. So now he had an emotionally unstable brat who could also break the average man down with little to know effort."_

The man had trained his blue eyes on to her own.

_"And so he called me. And asked me to give him an outlet for all that pent up anger."_

At the time Mercy didn't understand what the man was hoping to accomplish by teaching an already unstable child how to be even more dangerous. She was sure that whatever the man had planned would certainly backfire and that if she were to join him she too would be caught in the cross fire. However her curiosity had won the debate and several weeks later the three of them set off on to their first mission as a mercenary unit.

Three years and three additional members later and she was still unsure as to what the man was hoping to accomplish. But she could safely say that whatever it was seemed to be working somewhat. Zero had come a long way from the quiet and strange child. Although he still mostly kept to himself his interactions with other people seemed to have come quite a way.

Still he was far from a normal pre-teen.

_But than again he'll never be normal. And from my understanding never really was._

She turned his gaze on to the floor with a pensive look. She didn't know what really had happened to the youngest member of their group. And a part of her was scared to find out what could scar a child so much. But at least now she was sure that one day the boy would be able to overcome his personal demons and hopefully make a normal life for himself. And until that day she would take it as a personal challenge to help him as best as she could.

"Hey kid, what you reading?"

* * *

**_March 15, 2017 ATB_**

**_Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11_**

The Britannian prince stared at the display with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. His hands shook and his knees nearly crumbled under his own weight. A silent mantra of disbelief rang through his thoughts. He closed his mouth and tried to swallow the lump in his throat. It was no use. Beside him general Bartley had finally cracked under the pressure.

"What will we do now!" The large man wailed as he brought his hands up to his face. "We don't have any other forces to defend ourselves with!"

Despite his agreement the prince remained silent.

"The terrorist will come and get us! And than we'll be killed!"

Clovis leaned forward on to the display table as he struggled to control his breathing. There was nothing more that he could do. He had gambled with his remaining forces and paid dearly for it. Now he had nothing to use for defense. And to top it all off in the unlikely event that he did leave here the damage to his reputation would be impossible to overcome... Unless there was something he could do to salvage this day!

"They'll string us up in the streets and use our heads like toys!" The overweight general was practically crying. "I don't want to die-"

"Bartley, Shut the hell up!" The slender man snarled in rage. "I can't think with you talking!"

The prince bowed his head over the tactical display as he considered all of the options he had remaining. He would readily admit that his arrogance had led to his downfall on this day. If he had called for prior reinforcements than perhaps he could have continued to press his forces onward and simply overwhelm the rabble with his numbers. But that option was too far gone, the terrorist would be here long before any help could arrive.

Perhaps he could simply just leave? Take an armored car and keep the remaining soldiers as escorts? That would do enough to save his life but it would only serve to make the situation even worse. It was bad enough that he had lost on this day. But to lose and run like a coward? He had a brother who had done something like that once, leave his soldiers to die after a failed sortie. The key word being the one using past tense.

Was there something he could do with the forces he still had on hand? Perhaps he could use the mobile command center as a decoy? Then he could possibly use his remaining troops to circle around and attack from the rear? Not that he had enough remaining knightmares to challenge the entire terrorist group-

His hands stilled. _Remaining knightmares._

Before he could even think about what he was about to do his right hand had reached out and slapped down on to a nearby button on the command table. A small icon appeared on the digital screen, a symbol to let him know the page request had been sent. He only had to wait twenty seconds before the face of a man he had dismissed only twenty minutes before reappeared on a nearby screen_._

The leader of the prime minister's Camelot project slid on a grin before presenting the prince with a mocking bow. "You rang your highness?"

Clovis bit the inside of his lips to help stave off the rude reply that had jumped to the forefront. He took a deep breath and centered himself before he looked the man on the other side of the screen dead in the eyes. A steely glint became apparent as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Can it do it Lloyd?" He demanded of the eccentric noble. "Can your damn toy win us the day?"

The earl gave a slow and irritating chuckle before his features suddenly hardened. His own eyes showed something dangerous that Clovis knew quite well. Madness. It was the kind of madness that could only be harnessed or erased. His elder brother, the prime minister, had chosen to harness it. Clovis would soon see if it was the right call.

"Please your highness." The man's voice had lost the teasing tilt. It was now full of measured danger. "Be so kind as to call it The_ Lancelot."_

* * *

Dust flittered about the air and pillars of smoke rose from various points amongst the destruction. Zero looked down, from his position on a leaning building, on to the crater that had been opened in the middle of the Shinjuku ghetto by his plan of action. His trap had worked extremely well, too well in fact. The area of destruction had been far greater than what he had been originally planning. It hadn't been his intention to knock down so many homes and damage the living conditions of those who had lived in the ghetto.

A grimace split his face as he looked on through his knightmare's camera. On the bright side instead of wiping out half of the Britanninan knightmares remaining he had nearly destroyed all of them. An unexpected side effect, but one that he could certainly live with. As it stood now the only thing Clovis had to play with were ground troops, a few armored vehicles, and a hand full of Sutherland's being used to guard the mobile command center. Not a force that he should feel overly threatened by.

His hand reached out to the radio. "Good work everyone. The plan proved more effective than expected, Clovis La Britannia has lot over three quarters of his remaining forces."

As expected cheers and excited chatter surged from the terrorist cell as they shared in their mutual jubilation. Lelouch could not find it in himself to reprimand them. For all intents and purposes they had successfully done what no one in over half a decade had been able to do, bloody Britannia's nose.

_But at what cost?_ He questioned with a shake of his head. _I wanted to stop the destruction. Instead I only helped it._

He knew of course that the damage done to the infrastructure was acceptable. In his younger days he had been taught by his mentor _Ace_ that things didn't always go the way a commander had originally planned. War could never be substituted for a board game and more often than not the greatest difference between winning and losing wasn't technology or numbers but rather the individual people who actually fought. Zero was sure that if the man who had helped to raise him would be there now he would tell him that the important thing was none of the innocents had been hurt.

_"They can rebuild son. But they can't do that if they aren't living."_

With that in mind Zero was almost comforted by his decision. At the very least his main goal of stopping the mindless slaughter of innocent people had been accomplished. And in addition he could take away the fact that he was still able to think on a tactical level that would have made the old man proud.

_Still it'll all be for naught if I give Clovis the chance to regroup and call reinforcements._ His hands tightened around the movement controls to the stolen purist Sutherland. _I'll have to make a move for him and attempt to force a cease-fire._

With that in mind he reached for the radio again-

"Arrrgh!"

The teenager blinked with his hand hovering over the radio switch. _What the hell was that?_

"Holy crap! This is B-2 and we're under attack!"

Zero tensed at the sudden report. His eyes immediately shot down to the tactical display and sought out the location he knew the terrorist to be in. It was to the east, not far from the mobile command center. B-2 had been one of the units he was planning on taking with him if he needed to storm the place by force. He bit lightly in to his lower lip as he scanned the map. There was no Britannian IFF in the area.

His hand finished pressing down. "Status report B-2? I don't see an IFF!"

"It's a knightmare!" The man responded in obvious panic. "It's one damn knightmare! It already got the rest-"

It was as far as the transmission got before it was forcefully cut off. Without a second thought Lelouch launched his Sutherland in to gear and moved down down the slope of the leaning building towards the ground. His mind was beginning to race as he thought over what he had learned so far.

_Is this Clovis' end game? He must have figured out I was using the IFF signal as a means to outmaneuver him._ The Sutherland sprang free of the building and landed on the remaining road with a thud before continuing on with the land spinners. _What are the chances he had a VTOL or transportation truck deliver additional units?_

It became apparent to him that he could very well not be dealing with Clovis anymore. Desperation could force a man to do many things and Clovis would certainly be panicking by this point. Could he have so quickly relinquished his command over the battle to someone else? This new player could have turned the tables on Lelouch by tricking him in to pulling off the last maneuver. After all, the tunnels had been a major part of his strategy up to this point but now over half of them would be damaged by his own trap. That would take the insight of a commander that was surely above anything Clovis had in his cabinet.

Either way Zero needed more information before he came to a decision.

His response came in the form of a crackling radio. "This is P-5! You there Zero guy?!"

Violet eyes snapped to the radio as the Sutherland came to a halt behind a downed building. "Zero here! Tell me what you see P-5!"

The man, Tamaki if he remembered correctly, sounded just as out of sorts as the last one did.

"I see this damn thing! It's just one knightmare!"

"Describe it to me!" Zero barked. "I need to know what we're dealing with!"

"It's some kind of new frame! White with gold and stuff!" Lelouch could here the force the man was exerting. "It's really fast!"

"Anything else? Any idea on weapons or capabilities?" He had shifted the Sutherland back in to gear and was closing on the target location.

"Yeah! It's got four slash harkens! Two on the arms and-" The rattle of knightmare assault rifle fire could be heard. "My god! This damn thing has some kind of green energy shield!" There was a scream of surprise before the hiss of static. The radio went dead for a moment before it was filled with various voices panicking and asking for direction.

Zero himself frowned as he began to fit the pieces to the puzzle together.

_A white and gold knightmare. Extremely fast so it can't be a Sutherland brand. Not likely a Gloucester either. Four slash harkens and an energy shield..._

Something buzzed in the back of his mind and forced him to think even harder. He focused on the nagging feeling as he re-capped what he knew. It sounded vaguely familiar. The color scheme was unique enough for a Britannian frame. But the thing that caught his attention the most was the idea of an energy shielding system. It sounded a lot like what one of his contacts told him about-

The idea snapped in to place. _This must be!_

His hand reached out to the radio again. "All remaining forces be advised! The current enemy is likely a prototype knightmare frame. My previous intel suggest that it is a seventh generation type that focuses on close range combat and mobility. I advise all units to stay as far away as possible. I repeat, stay clear of a close range encounter!"

He knew that it was easier said than done. If this was the knightmare frame prototype created by the Camelot research project than it would be the first time a seventh generation frame had been deployed in to active combat. In addition it would mean that the pilot of said machine would need to be an ace level devicer due to the exceptional strain the machine reportedly put on to the body.

_I wasn't expecting it to even be here because of that fact. There are only a few people in the world who should be able to move the damn thing let alone use it as well as reported_. Lelouch reasoned as he rounded a corner with his Sutherland. _They must have been waiting until the situation was dire enough to warrant the use. Knowing Clovis he would see using it as putting himself in debt to the prime minister._

Despite the rather troublesome situation Lelouch found a grin splitting his face. It had been years since he had been allowed to combat another knightmare frame in a life or death situation. And to do it against another high level pilot and an experimental knightmare?

_This reminds me of the battle in Madang._ His shoulders hunched over as he pushed the Sutherland even faster. _Fighting against a superior force with only my own skills to count on. And I can finally get Ashford and Danilo off my ass about recon._

All things considered he could easily turn the upcoming confrontation in to a useful one.

* * *

"You'll be happy to know Prince Clovis that my Lancelot is doing a _beautiful_ job of dealing with those pesky insurgents." The lead scientist said in a sing song voice.

Despite how annoying the man was Clovis couldn't help but feel impressed. Although he couldn't see the progress that Asplund's toy was making he was at least sure that the man's excited screams and exaggerated reports were indications of a change in the tide of battle. He had heard that the eccentric Earl was a genius researcher despite his strange antics and even stranger attitude but to actually have the man's work at hand?

_I can see now why Schinezel put up with him in the first place._

"Did you hear that!" Bartley had turned to face the prince with a massive grin stretching his face. A far cry from the previously shown emotion. "We're going to win the battle against those damned elevens!"

Clovis shot the man a mocking half smile in response as his mind moved on to more important matters. If this new frame did succeed in getting rid of all the terrorist knightmares than he would have to move his remaining forces in to position as soon as possible. Perhaps even still call for the previously considered reinforcements. He couldn't allow for Schneizel's pet research team to take all the credit for turn in the battle. If he did he would owe a debt that would give the prime minister would have even more sway over his actions.

_And I loathe to give that bastard anymore control than I already have to._ He crossed his arms over his chest. _Lord knows I'll pay for this bit of assistance through the nostrils._

"Oh!" The surprised shout drew the prince's attention back to the screen hanging on the wall. "It seems I may have some interesting news your highness!"

"What is it Lloyd?" The blond man demanded as he stepped around the display table and towards the screen. The strange man suddenly stepped back in to the lens of the camera and grinned brightly at the irritated prince.

"My pilot has encountered a rather interesting unit. A _purist_ Sutherland." Stressing the key word in the sentence. "It just suddenly appeared to defend another terrorist unit."

Clovis blinked in visible surprise. "A purist factor member?"

His frown slid back in to place. What the hell was that all about? Why would someone who routinely spouted a rhetoric against commoners of all sorts go out of their way to help a _number_? It defied all logic. And what was the soldier doing working with the terrorist in the first place? Could he really have a traitor in such a high ranking area of his military power-

The explanation hit him in the face like a sledgehammer to a brick wall.

"The terrorist leader." His words had come out in a furious hiss that sounded more like it belonged to a wild animal. "He must have gotten a hold of that Sutherland early on in the conflict."

"My assumption as well." The earl practically purred. "And with an active IFF signal..."

"The bastard could successfully coordinate an assault." Clovis declared flatly as he finally pieced together what had happened. "This entire time we've been dealing with an enemy that has been privy to our battle plans. That's why changing the radio frequency didn't work for us. He was listening in the whole time."

"Exactly!" The man on the other side of the screen exclaimed with a clap. "Still you have to give him credit. Even with the inside information you unknowingly provided him it would still take a keen mind to put together a battle plan so effective in so little time. And his last little surprised showed a level of tactical ability well above the normal."

Clovis merely grunted in agreement. Despite the way he had been successfully suckered in to helping his own demise he could still readily admit that to being impressed by the other man's ingenuity and skills. Still, that didn't mean he had to like it.

A surge of rage filled the Britannian prince. He would get that bastard back!

"Lloyd! Your pilot has left all the terrorist alive up to this point, correct?!"

The man gave him a vexing grin. "That's correct your highness."

"That stops now!" Clovis snarled with a visible spittle flying from his mouth. "Order your man to make sure the bastard suffers!"

The earl's grin faded away to reveal a stone serious expression. "Of course your highness."

* * *

The two warriors stayed silent. Two sentinels of war standing amongst the destruction brought about by their actions. One new and untested but wielding tremendous talent. The other experienced an experienced veteran. The two great titans eyed the other with an ocean of tension spanning the five meters that separated them.

Zero reached out and flicked the switch that activated his Sutherland's factsphere, an action the opposing pilot soon copied. The former mercenary noted the dual shoulder mounted placement design, a far cry from the singular face design that most Britannian frames sported.

_The Z-01 prototype._ He mused with a slight grin. _That's another factor to add to the list. And I will certainly admit it looks the part._

"Hey! Are you that Zero guy?!" A voice shouted the question from the radio.

Zero knew without even turning his knightmare to look that there were two shell shocked terrorist standing behind him. The speaker he knew to be P-1, or Ohgi, the leader of the terrorist cell. The second unit was the one armed Glasgow that had been active since the start of this day. Belonging to a young woman named Kallen, temporarily given the designation Q-1. The possible diamond in the rough he had spotted earlier in the conflict.

Lelouch closed the factsphere and moved his hand over to the radio. "You can get out of here now. I'll handle things from here."

There was a slight pause before the man responded. "What? Are you sure?"

"Yes. Completely. "Zero immediately responded. "I'll hold this thing here personally."

"But what about you?" The Japanese man pressed. "How will you get away?"

"Don't worry about that." Lelouch ordered as he glanced over the data his factsphere had fed him. "You just need to rally the remaining forces behind you and use them to form a defensive perimeter around the residence of the ghetto. Remember our objective is to protect the people. You can still do that with what you have left."

"But you! You can't take that thing out on your own! It's a damn monster!"

Inside the Sutherland Lelouch shook his head. "That's my problem now, not yours. Now get going." His eyes latched on to the image of the white knightmare still standing across from him. It would be any minute now...

"Yeah but-"

"Go!" Zero barked as the prototype frame leaned forward in to a runner's stance in preparation for it's attack. The Japanese man on the other side of the radio jumped at the sudden shout before he finally set his own Sutherland in to motion.

"T-Thanks man!" He called as he and his companion turned to leave.

Zero didn't bother to respond, too busy with the advanced weapon barreling towards him. The prototype knightmare closed in with speed that defied what it's should have been able to manage given it's size. Lelouch grimaced as his newest enemy zigzagged toward him, his Sutherland's camera struggling to keep track.

"Damn." He hissed as he instinctively jerked his controls in to a counter.

The frame was much faster than he had originally anticipated but while the enemy had the overwhelming technological advantage he could boast the advantage in skill and experience. Which was why he had been able to deploy his Sutherland's right stun tonfa in time to use it as tool to block the high kicked aimed at his frame's head.

He grunted as the kinetic force expended caused his Sutherland to jolt in response. The right arm of his frame creaked and groaned under the power but still held strong. Lelouch gripped his controls even tighter as he struggled to hold the Sutherland steady.

_If this had been a standard issue frame..._ _Thankfully the purebloods could at least afford a few small mechanical enhancements_.

Turning his two controls in opposite directions Zero forced his land spinners to pull him in reverse as he raised the rifle in his left hand to fire. The white knightmare responded by dropping it's leg and literally _flipping backward_ out of the path of the bullets. Zero blinked at the sight before an even larger grin broke free.

"Seriously?" He muttered as he stopped firing and re-aimed.

He refocused the rifle and fired again only to gape as the frame hunched over and sprouted a green shield to deflected the bullets away. Zero gritted his teeth as he wheeled his Sutherland to the left in a strafing motion in an attempt to get around the defenses, a gesture that was made largely useless when the opposition simply barrel rolled in the in the opposite direction.

"We'll I'll be damned." Lelouch chuckled as he stopped his Sutherland and re-aimed the rifle. "Actually seeing that damn thing is something entirely different."

Any other solo conversation was put to the way side as the prototype frame engaged it's own land spinners and rocketed towards him. Lelouch narrowed his eyes at the image in preparation only to have to suddenly jerk his Sutherland in to a half spin to the right in order to avoid the arm mounted slash harken that raced towards him. A grimace split his face as the slash harken banked mid air and started right back on track.

_Boosters on the end? For changing direction I assume._ He thought as he expertly swung his knightmare back in to the opposite direction while lashing out with his stun tonfa at the left hip mounted harken that had tried to catch him off guard. _Much like the viper system._

Lelouch spun his knightmare back to the right as he swung his rifle to fire again, banking on the close range to provide him a benefit. It proved utterly useless when the prototype frame ducked and flowed backward away from the gun fire while reeling in it's slash harkens. Still undaunted the former mercenary engaged his own land spinners with a squeal of rubber before he shot off towards his enemy.

"Your not the only one who can move these damn things far beyond the normal." He bit out as he fired the rifle again.

The prototype rose to full height and crossed it's arms in front of it's chest as it re-activated the shielding system. Lelouch didn't stop firing, instead barring down harder on the acceleration to close the gap. At about the three meter range he reached out and flicked his own slash harkens in to motion, shooting the metal anchors ahead of him. The white knightmare twitched before leaping backwards to put more distance between the two frame, perfectly fine for Zero.

"Your annoying." He muttered as he reeled the metal wires back in. "But still fun to play with."

The white knightmare dropped the energy shield before it moved in to a fighter stance with it's right arm held out in front at a right angle. Lelouch tilted his head as he moved the Sutherland's right leg back and transitioned the rifle in to his right hand to counter the motion.

"You don't have anything other than those slash harkens." He realized with a nod as he withdrew the stun tonfa. "Still too new, didn't even expect to be used here." Which meant that he didn't have to wait for any extra surprises.

_I can't beat it outright_. He rationalized as he thought over his next plan of action. _But even just surviving now would be a positive outcome. So I can still count a draw of sorts a win__._

The seventh generation frame bent at the knees before it launched it's self high in the air. Lelouch tracked the movement before shifting his Sutherland to the right in an evasive pattern. The fifth generation frame drifted from side to side to avoid the four metal anchors that rained down from the superior machine. The teenager cut his eyes to the top left corner of the screen before he forced his knightmare to crouch, avoiding the returning slash harken that had been used as a whip.

Shifting the machine's weight on to the left side Lelouch came to a decision before he stopped on a dime. Instead of retreating further he raised his rifle and began to spray the remaining bullets at the descending knightmare. The glancing shots bounced off the stronger machine like flies against a wall and only served to further irritate him. Still he had a plan to follow through with and the means to enact it.

He shifted directions and gunned his accelerator to the white knightmare as he continued to fire on. The advanced weapon dropped to the ground in a crouch before it rushed towards him while leaning out of the path of the gunfire. Lelouch snorted as his rifle went dry before he used his kightmare's hand to grab the grip tighter and moved to engage the other frame. The white knightmare invaded his space like a heavy weight boxer, throwing out a right hook as it's four slash harkens returned.

Zero swung the empty rifle at the approaching limb before he forced his own knightmare in to a crouch. He slammed his heavier frame in to the midsection of the newer model and gunned the acceleration as far down as it would go. The two frames struggled against each other for a moment before the Sutherland threw it's rifle aside in favor of wrapping both arms around the prototype weapon. Lelouch grunted as the newer knightmare brought both arms down in a hammer blow that nearly broke his Sutherland's shoulders at the joint.

He quickly flicked the switch and shot both slash harkens in to the ground at the prototype's feet before bending his own frame at the knees, sliding the grip down to the legs. Then with a grin he flicked one final switch before he pulled the ejection mechanism and rocketed his self to safety.

With his remaining camera feed he watched as the two chaos grenades on either side of the Sutherland ejected straight in to the air before his pod flew clear of a nearby building and out of sight. The white knightmare suddenly realizing it's position as it activated the shielding system to guard it's torso.

_Take that fucker_.

* * *

"What the hell do you mean lost him?!" The prince snarled at the new face in the screen.

The woman, a scientist who presented herself as one Cecile Croomy, grimaced as she glanced to the side in shame.

"Well sir..." She began before she trailed off. A deep breath and cleared throat later she continued. "The pilot was _much_ better than we originally thought. Very talented even. He managed to hold off the Lancelot's assault and upon realizing that winning wasn't an option..." She trailed off again.

"What?" The man demanded with heat. "What did he do?"

"He grabbed a hold of the Lancelot and ejected both chaos grenades as he ejected his seat. Lloyd isn't here now because he's in mourning over the fact the Lancelot was injured in the confrontation. The legs and land spinners were hit and sustained some heavy damage."

Clovis stalled at the explanation. "Your telling me the man used the _Sherman Maneuver_?"

The woman blinked, obviously surprised that the royal knew the actual terminology. "Um... Yes your highness."

"That move takes advanced planning, exceptional reflexes, and all around skills that normal pilots just don't possess." The prince said sweetly as he stressed the three factors. "In fact it's something that only advanced knightmare operators are capable of. Are you trying to tell me the elevens have an ace caliber devicer on their side Ms. Croomy?"

"Of course not sir." The woman replied smoothly as she avoided the worded trap. "It was all just a matter of being lucky." She took careful note not to mention the fact that the Lancelot's pilot was of Japanese decent as well and that in order to even move the damn thing you had to be an elite level talent.

"Of course not." The man repeated with a smile and a nod before his face shifted back to a dead serious look. "And I of course should have known better than to count on you irregulars to do a complete job. Get out of my sight woman. And tell that damn Earl his toy is shit."

"Of course your highness." She replied through clenched teeth before her face disappeared.

Clovis sighed as he turned around and stalked back to the command chair. He ran a hand over his face as he ran over his current options. At least the threat of an outright counter attack had been largely blunted. If that pilot really was the leader of the rebels than he would be able to push his advantage with the man out of the way. And now the IFF signatures couldn't be used against him again.

"Bartley." The man began as he sat down in his chair with a huff. "Make that call for the reinforcements after all-"

He was cut off by the sound of a shout from somewhere outside the command center doors. Clovis scowled as a thud interrupted his planning further. He turned his attention to the fat general that shared the room before he gestured to the door with a nod of his head.

"Go and see what those fools are doing." He ordered as he sat back in the chair and made himself comfortable.

The round general bowed as best as he could before he calmly began to walk towards the door. He made it about half way before the entry way slid open with a hiss. The general stopped short and looked out in to the hallway before his face suddenly went pale. He turned quickly and looked to the man seated in the chair.

"My prince-" It was as far as he got before a single gun shot ripped through the air. The man pitched sideways with a grunt before a second shot found it's way in to his side. Clovis jumped up from his seat and watched as his general fell to the floor in a heap.

The blond prince turned his eyes filled with fear and shock to the figure that stalked in to the room, the dead body of another soldier, who's neck had been broken, being shoved to the ground in front of him. The hooded man looked back at the prince from the depths of his leather jacket. A dark gleam in his gaze going unseen.

"Prince Clovis." He greeted casually as he trained the gun on to the man. "I've been looking for you."

The blond royal could say nothing. Instead only swallowing in fear as he took a step back away from the approaching man. He continued to walk backwards until the back of his legs hit the edge of his chair and sent him spiraling over the side and on to the floor. The gunman calmly walked over and pointed the barrel right towards the Britannian prince's face.

"I'd like to talk about your policy on terrorism." A grim smile could just be seen. "But first, perhaps you'd like to call a cease-fire?"


	5. Aftermath: Shinjuku Ghetto

**Discl****aimer: I do not Own Code Geass in any shape or form. But I do own the originally ideas and characters present in this story.**

* * *

_******April 12, 2011 ATB**_

_******Turin, Italy**_

Gavino '_Royce_' Ezio was a rather inconspicuous man. Which was why he was so damn good at his job.

Standing only about five feet and nine inches while weighing in at only one hundred and eighty pounds he didn't cut an overly impressive figure. Although his frame was filled with muscle and his walk resembled that of a high caliber athlete he was still able to go about the day without being looked at for a second glance. His thick black hair was cropped and his facial features somewhat plain. His eyes were a pale grey and were framed by a pair of horn rimmed glasses. He sported a lightly trimmed goatee and had a slight streak of scar tissue that stretched from the corner of his right eye and down the side of his cheek.

Overall he didn't inspire much conversation. Something he very much enjoyed. After all, it would be hard to get away with killing someone quietly if everyone who had seen you could tell that you were an assassin.

The slender man was currently seated at a table in a small coffee house, quietly sipping on a roasted blend. He was dressed casually, a simple white polo t-shirt with blue jeans and a pair of white tennis shoes. Every few minutes or so he would glance down at the rather nice watch strapped to his wrist in anticipation for a phone call that was already three minutes late. If there was one thing the man hated it was things not starting on time.

_This is why I don't like working with amateurs. They cause more headaches than what the pay is worth._

He leaned back in to his chair as his eyes traced the little café around him. There was a loving couple sharing a nearby booth, a business man working avidly on his computer, a young boy standing casually near the counter, an elderly woman who sipping on her second cup of tea. Royce frowned at the various sights and sounds surrounding him. These people lived their everyday lives not knowing that someone like him was seated among them. Sheep in the presence of a lion. The law of nature called him the biggest animal on the block and yet he was forced to mingle amongst the common folk.

More than once the man yearned for his younger years where he severed the darker aspects of the Italian government. A sword that was wielded in the shadows against the various enemies of his people both in the EU and from other countries. His work now was lonely work.

The small cell phone on the desk in front of him began to ring. He quickly snapped it up and glanced at the number with a scowl before his finger jammed the answer button.

"About time-"

"Hello Mr. Ezio."

Royce stopped short for a moment before he realized that the man on the other side of the phone was not the one he had been expecting to call him. His hand tightened around the small device as his eyes looked about for a potential caller. No one around him seemed to be on a phone.

"You won't find me that way." The man on the other side with a slight Britannian accent said. "I'm outside the shop anyway. A nearby car is you must know."

The Italian born assassin grunted in defeat as he sat back in to his chair as casually as he possible could. On the outside he painted on a small smile and tried to project the image of a calm man having a pleasant conversation over the phone. On the inside he was nearly panicking over being outmaneuvered.

"You have me at a disadvantage sir." He greeted as casually as he could. "I don't have a name for you."

"Of course, how rude of me." Royce could just picture the smile on the man's face. "I go by the name Ace. Much in the way you go by the name Royce."

_A call sign than._ The man reasoned. "Charmed."

"I'll get to the point because I hear you don't like to waste time." 'Ace' started. "The man you were waiting on can't, of course, call you on the account that my client hired me first."

"Ah." Royce said with a nod. "That would explain a lot."

"Indeed." The amusement on the man's voice was palpable. It irritated Royce to no end. "I of course am done with my contract but I took the time to call you both to tell you about your early termination and also to extend an offer."

"Oh? An offer?" The assassin said half mockingly. "You want to hire my services?"

"Rather I'd like to give you the chance to join with my own. I command a newly formed group known simply as Blackwatch. You haven't heard of us yet but you will soon enough."

The Italian broke in to a slight chuckle. "And you'd like for me to join?"

"Yes." Came the simple reply. Royce shook his head.

"And why would I, a freelancer, want to team up with you?" The idea was a little insulting to him. But that may just be the fact that his pride had been hurt by being out maneuvered. If the man on the other side was insulted he didn't show it. Instead he gave the most effective reply to the answer that he could.

"Because you crave companionship. And we can give it too you."

The Italian born assassin's face went stone cold at the finish of the sentence. It was as if the man on the other end of the line had been in his head long not too long ago, seeing what made him tick. It irritated him as much as it made him feel slightly awkward. How could a man who had never met him face to face read him so well? Regardless he wasn't going to be manipulated in to selling his freedom away so easily.

"I'm sure you think you have me figured out _Ace_." He began while trying to hide his growing discomfort. "But I have to say no. I don't want to join your merry little family."

The man sighed. "I had a feeling you would have said that. It seems that I'm not as good as negotiating as I once was... So I'll try to convince you one more time. Or at least one of my comrades will." There was click before the line went dead. Royce pulled the phone from his ear and looked down to it with a frown.

It had been a strange conversation to say the least. And he was more than a little unsure as to how the man knew so much about him. Being secretive was in his nature and he had done much work to make sure his name call sign was only know to those in the highest circles-

"Mr. Ezio?" A soft voice to his left suddenly inquired.

The man jumped and reached his hand in to his pants pocket to grab at his switchblade as he turned in his chair... To come face to face with the young boy who had been standing causally at the counter just minutes before. Stunned the man blinked as the younger male glanced down at his hand before walking to the other side of the table and plopping down in to the empty chair.

"I'm Zero." The youth said to the gaping man as he slid his hands palms up on to the table between them. "And I'm much better at negotiating than Ace is."

* * *

**_March 17, 2017 ATB_**

**_Tokyo Settlement, Area 11_**

"Wake up Lelouch!"

The exclamation was punctuated with a slap to the head. The former prince grimaced as he opened his eyes to glare up at the smiling blonde. The Ashford family heiress cocked her hips to the left as she brought the rolled up school news paper and slapped it in to the palm of her hand in a seemingly menacing fashion.

"I know you were sleeping." She declared confidently. "Your hand stopped moving."

Lelouch Marshall removed his head from his upturned right palm. "I was just reading the words on the back of my eyelids."

The young woman snorted. "And I was considering getting a breast reduction." Her face full of all serious intent.

The room fell silent at that sudden declaration. Everyone but Lelouch blushed a brilliant red.

"I highly doubt it. It's your best asset." He calmly stated as he neatly arranged the stack of paper sitting in front of him. "And Rivalz will be devastated if you did choose to do it."

"And you?" The girl questioned without messing a single beat. "Won't you feel the least bit disappointed?" The teasing was made without a single glance in Rivalz's direction but the girl was sure he was somewhere between gaping and drooling.

"Sorry, but I prefer the _A_ part of_ T&A_."

"So I guess Shirley should be pleased." The blonde quipped as she began to strut back to her seat at the end of the table. "She seems to have that part in spades." The girl in question seemed to go brighter than a sun spot.

"I suppose." Lelouch shrugged as he made to stand up. "At any rate I'm already done. Which means I'm out of here."

Rivalz shot up from his seat at the table. "Hey! Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" Holding his hands out akimbo style.

Lelouch turned to him. "It means I've done all of my work." He deadpanned.

"But leaving? I could use your help buddy!" The other boy was seemingly pleading. "C'mon, don't make me beg over here!"

"Your begging won't change a thing. I'm still not helping." Lelouch explained. "I'm not here to finish your work for you-"

"Guts!" Milly roared from her seat a the table.

A blanket of silence descended over the group for a second time as they all turned as one to stare at the young woman. Lelouch shook his head before he reached out and massaged his temples. Another day and another head ache. It was far too early for this shit.

"Not this again." He complained with a slight sigh. "This doesn't really work Milly."

"Guts!" Came the retort. "GUTS!"

"It's not a spell damn it!" The tallest teen snapped.

"I don't know Madame President." The ever gullible Shirley interjected. "It sure works for me!"

_Of course it does. _Lelouch thought with some irritation.

Milly turned to face the girl with a slim smile. "Supple and willing. That's what I like to see."

Shirley flexed a bicep. "I work hard in gymnastics practice."

The Ashford heiress shook head. "That isn't what I meant. I've been watching you in the girls locker room. You've been filling out in all the right places. The boys have been really pleased. I've even heard them call you a ten."

"W-What? What's that suppose to mean?" The orange haired young woman covered her chest with her arms. "Are you some kinda perv?"

"Your just realizing that?" The ever quiet and mousy Nina added as she too stacked the papers in front of her. "I'm done as well by the way."

"What? You too Nina?!" Rivalz exclaimed as Milly practically shot out of her seat to harass Shirley. "You can't go as well."

"Why can't we?" Lelouch countered as he leaned against the table. "It isn't our fault you can't work fast enough."

"Yeah, but we're a team." The other teen whined as he dropped back in to his chair. "And if we don't get this budget done than the equestrian club is going to come in on horseback again."

"Then you respond by punching them in the face and knocking them off their horse." Lelouch countered as his gaze was directed by movement outside a nearby window. A member of said club had chosen to ride up to the window at that moment. He received a death glare from the taller teen as a reward.

"That's easy for you too say. Your scary!" Rivalz countered as he dropped his head to the wooden table with a thud. "No one has messed with you since you beat up those bullies in your first month at the academy."

"Not my problem." Lelouch said as he reached out and grabbed his book bag. "I'm heading to class early. See you all later."

* * *

"Your back Kallen!"

Violet eyes snapped open and slid over to the direction of the voice. Lelouch quickly profiled every person in the general area before he finally narrowed in on the one who had spoken, a slim and typical Britannian teen, and who she had been directing the words too.

_We'll I'll be a monkey's uncle._ The tall teenager thought as his gazed focused in on to a girl with brilliant red hair who had entered the room. His mind flashed back to the incident in Shinjuku two days prior and the young woman who had piloted an old Glasgow with expert skill._ It is her._

And indeed it was the same girl who had ran with terrorist movement. Although he had only the shortest glimpse of her in a darkened truck before she had entered in to the outdated frame he was sure that the color or her hair was as rare as it seemed. In addition he noted the girl's voice as the same that had argued back against him. With a start he realized that this is where he had seen the girl before, if only in passing.

_Another unpatriotic Britannian_? He mused as his eyes narrowed in thought. _Perhaps something more?_

Rivalz, of course, choose that exact moment to make an appearance. He sat down in the chair next to his taller schoolmate and traced his gaze over the small group of girls who had crowded around the newest entry. A devilish grin split the boy's face as he lightly elbowed his friend in the side.

"See something ya like buddy?" He questioned teasingly. "That's Kallen Stadtfelt. Sole heiress to a Duke."

Lelouch pulled his eyes away and lightly shook his head. "It's not like that. I was just noting that she doesn't show up much. And that's saying something coming from me."

"Because she's sick, or so I hear." Rivalz said with a shrug as he pulled out a notebook. "Don't have to show up much anyway when your set to inherit a noble title. Add to the fact that she's well bred and is rolling in money? I hear her father is some major real estate contractor back in the homeland. You sure no how to pick them dude."

"Sure." Lelouch replied without arguing the point further. Rivalz would just take that as an admission of guilt and continue to press. Still what the other boy had said to him had given him something to think on as the class progressed.

_Noble blood but a terrorist in Japan?_ Lelouch reasoned as he took light note. Not like he needed them, he _was _living Britannian history. _I'm missing something here. Perhaps her situation is like mine?_

He glanced back up to the front of the class before he shot his gaze back over the young lady seated near the front in what had been an empty desk. Seated in a class full of Britannian youths she looked like any other regular girl but he knew better than to judge a book by it's cover.

_Even her demeanor is completely different._ He noted as he looked back down to the paper. _So which is the act? The high breed school girl or the fiery terrorist?_

He would have to investigate with Ruben further at another time. The damn teacher had called on to him for a question.

* * *

Dr. Hiroshi Tanaka frowned at the slip of paper laying on the oak desk in front of him. He had been forced to come to Ashford academy against his will. And now this had been thrown on him?

"I don't like this." The mousy man with gray hair and black thick circle framed glasses commented with a wave of his hand as a gesture. "I don't like this at all."

"Duly noted." Ruben Ashford declared with a nod. "That doesn't mean you don't have to move."

"But why?" The small and round man practically whined. He was in a white lab coat, a white dress shirt, and a pair of black slacks. "I liked my old place. Why do I have to move?"

"Because your basement nearly caved in." Ruben deadpanned.

"And who's fault is that?" The small man questioned testily. "I'm not the one going on around and dropping half a city on to people."

"No." Lelouch commented as he stalked in to the room from the adjacent space. "Your the guy who's constantly destroying the equipment I keep providing for him with his crazy experiments." He placed the two glasses of water that he had brought with him on to the desk between the two men.

"I have to let my creative juices flow!" The man snapped angrily. "I can't keep them bottled up by your restrictions."

"And I can't keep paying to have your neighbors forget what they've heard." The teenager challenged. "Which is why your new space is perfect for you."

"But I'll be all alone." The man said as he squirmed in his seat. "I won't have any real human contact in to such a far out place."

"You don't do human contact anyway." Ruben quipped as he took a sip of his water. "So it's not like you've lost anything."

"I'm not the sociopath here." Dr. Tanaka said with a huff as he crossed his arms. "He is!" Gesturing with his head to Lelouch.

"I'm not a sociopath." The teenager said calmly as if he hadn't just been insulted. "I just can't suffer fools."

Ruben frowned. "Don't you consider nearly everyone a fool?"

Lelouch stared at him blankly with his violet colored eyes. "I'm not seeing your point." He replied honestly.

The Ashford family head stared at him for a moment before he shook his head. "Any how, your moving Hiroshi."

"What am I going to tell my mother?" The man demanded. "She'll call for me and I won't be there."

"Didn't you say your mother was dead?"

"Hypothetically speaking than."

"How about I hit you upside the head and drag you there." Lelouch interjected. "Hypothetically speaking that is."

"Moving on." Ruben cut back in by raising his voice. "We need to talk more about what you've found."

"Yes, the little terrorist hiding amongst the students." The teenager commented as he leaned casually against the edge of the desk. "Ms. Stadtfelt."

"I know the one." Ruben nodded slowly. "She shows up even less than you do but still manages somewhat decent goals. Had an older brother who died a few years back. Didn't have a reason to search for an explanation. Are you sure she was the one?"

"I don't forget things like that old man." The raven haired boy said with confidence. "It was the girl who piloted the Glasgow."

"Well I might have found a reason." Ruben declared as he opened a draw on his desk and pulled out a small manila folder. Setting it upon the desk he pried it open and pulled out a stack of papers that he sorted through before selecting the one he was looking for. "This is it."

Lelouch plucked the sheet from the older man and gave it a quick read. A look of understanding spreading across his face as he hit the crucial point of the document. The mousy scientist watched the teenager nod with visible frustration. He hated being kept out of the loop.

"What terrorist? What does it say?" His demand was almost childish like.

"She's half Japanese." Lelouch answered as he set the paper back on the desk. "Her father re-married just before the invasion, another noble woman."

"The Earl Stadtfelt is a known real estate tycoon." Ruben added as he slid the piece of paper back to him. "Has a house in Pendragon even. And despite being married to the current lady Stadtfelt for years he has yet to have anything to show for it."

Dr. Tanaka frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means the woman is barren." Lelouch supplied with an almost bored tone. "Children are a big thing to Britannian nobility. Someone to pass on your titles and family expectations on to if something _unsavory_ were to happen. If he's been married to the woman for near a damn decade and doesn't have a kid to show for it but was able to have two other children in the past then it means something is wrong with the woman. A big social no-no."

"My thoughts as well." Ruben acknowledged with a nod. "In fact, back when I was building this fine establishment, I thought about the young Mr. Stadtfelt as a possible negotiator for this piece of land. He was here long before the Britannian forces invaded, years even."

"So he married a Japanese woman?" Tanaka questioned. "And then left her here?"

Lelouch shook his head. "More like he was forced too. I don't expect his parents were pleased to hear he had been involved with a foreign woman. Maybe even threatened to have him disowned. So he broke it off in the interest of keeping his claim to the title. And after the woman they had set up for him proved to be a familiar in capable of providing him with an heir..."

"I'm sure by that time he had come in to his own enough to develop a back bone." Ruben agreed. "And after Japan was conquered took his two children in despite what his family had said. As you can see Ms. Stadtfelt can clearly pose as a full-blooded Britannian youth. And I'm sure her brother was much the same."

"And the real mother would have had no choice but to agree." Tanaka summarized with a nod, finally catching on. "After all, it's nearly impossible to support two young children when your treated like a second rate citizen. This way she was at least sure here kids would have every opportunity while being fed and well educated."

"Exactly." Lelouch confirmed. "And considering the father lives on the mainland trying to build the family name I can only assume the step-mother lives here in Japan. Most likely forced too by the embarrassment she would suffer from the courts by bringing the children back to the mainland."

"I see." Tanaka nodded sagely before the last bit hit him. "Oh wait... _Oh_!"

"Yes, a problem on to it's self." Ruben said with a sigh as he sat back in to his chair. "I'm sure the older brother had many Japanese friends as well. So not only was he forced to grow up with a woman who had made his life a living hell out of jealousy he was also forced to watch as his friends were treated like crap by the occupying Britannians. So naturally a hatred began to develop for the Britannian blood in him."

"And the rest is fairly obvious. The son runs away, joins a terrorist group. Gets himself killed. Sister is angry and joins the same group. Explains her frequent absences with ailing health when in reality she's running around in the ghettos. And the only reason she's here now is to let the heat die down." Lelouch concluded with a nod. "Everything fits just fine. This is where I had recognized the name before, even in passing."

"If anything it says something about your memory." The Ashford family head complimented. "A prime opportunity that would have been wasted if you didn't note the girl. Kallen isn't an overly common name but it's still Britannian enough that if we search hard enough we might find others."

"It's just something I was taught. How to keep track of even the smallest details." The teenager had suddenly gained a far away look. "I had to gather information as quickly as possible in my younger days. I was often the best choice because no one took note of a small child loitering about. Not even in a warzone."

The Ashford family head nodded while the small Japanese scientist squirmed somewhat uncomfortably in his seat. They, like all members of _Blackwatch_, knew of his days as a hired gun who had grown up in and out of dangerous conflicts. In truth both were more than a little curious about what that sort of life had been like for the young man but were also somewhat scared to find out.

The world they lived in was already a bleak place. They didn't need to make it even worse by prying where they had no business looking.

"So!" Hiroshi Tanaka suddenly exclaimed to break apart the sudden mood. "Since I'm being forcefully relocated who wants to help me pack?"

The two other males looked to one another, each uncomfortable with the idea of a moving day.

"Oh don't worry." Hiroshi started while rubbing his hands together. "I think you'll like to see just what I'll be hiding in those boxes."

* * *

Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald sighed in frustration.

It had been less than two days since he had officially been named interim viceroy for Area 11. And in those two days alone he had done more paper work than he had ever thought possible. For years there had been rumors and casual talk about the third prince's lack of actual administrative control. And unfortunately he now knew those rumors to be true. Numerous parties and grand festivals had left the man with very little time to do any actual work, something Jeremiah was paying for as a result.

However, it was not the reason for his displeasure. After all he would only be in the seat for a few weeks time, a handful of months at the most, before someone else was regulated to the position. The next viceroy, someone he hoped would be more qualified, would be responsible for cleaning up the third prince's mess while he would be free to go back to his old place as leader of the purist faction.

No, his current predicament was something that was unfortunately in his hands to control. Speaking specifically of the aftermath of prince Clovis' death and how to break it to the public. Which was why he was currently seated behind a small wooden table in a poorly lit interrogation room.

Jeremiah reached out and picked up the small cup of tea resting on the table as he looked over the opposite edge. Strapped to a chair and laying on the dirty floor was a young Japanese youth, an honorary Britannian who had become the unlucky fall man for his inability to ferret out the real killer. This boy was one Jeremiah had a personal distain for, the son of the former Japanese prime minister. And one of the people he partially blamed his past failure on.

"You can save yourself a lot of trouble you know." The Margrave said calmly as he sipped his tea. "Contrary to what you must be currently thinking we don't actually want to sit around beating a confession out of you all day long."

A snort behind him caused him to stop the edge of the cup short from his lips. He closed his eyes to will away the irritation that was rising up. He would have to make sure the stupid guard who had thought to undermine him at that moment that he would never be allowed to do so again. But right now this was more important.

"We know it was you." He stated confidently after his next sip. "We don't know how you erased the footage or managed to get away unseen but we know that you had the motive and the opportunity."

The youth on the floor did not respond an instead struggled with his bonds. Jeremiah eyed him for a moment before he cut his gaze to the side and nodded his head once. A guard who had been previously standing stone still to his right suddenly stalked forward before he landed the steel toe of his boat in to the boy's unprotected stomach. The Margrave set down his cup of tea amongst the cry of pain before he reached out with his left hand towards another item on the table.

"Do you see this?" He questioned as he held up the item. A standard issue Britannian pistol held in an evidence bag. "You were careful. You stole it from one of the man dead bodies you left in the hallway. And you were already wearing gloves so you didn't get any DNA on it. But you were also stupid enough to leave it behind." He leaned forward. "Too arrogant for your own damn good."

The teenager struggled to lift his head from the floor. "I didn't do it." He was struggling to breathe after that last kick. "You have the wrong guy!"

Jeremiah frowned. "A likely story." He said even though he knew the words to be true.

"But it's true!" The teenager exclaimed. "I was nowhere near the G-1. I even have someone who can back up my claim."

"An eccentric Earl that no one is found of?" The Margrave half mocked and half stated. "I wouldn't count on anyone taking his word in the courtroom."

"But we have evidence!" The teen was still struggling with his bonds. "And it's not just him! I have other people who-"

Jeremiah sighed again as a hasty guard stepped forward to belt the boy in the face.

"Look boy, that won't cut it." The Margrave explained. "We have you entering the medical truck near the G-1 about an hour before the murder but no one has any record of you leaving. As far as we know anyone who is speaking in your defense is simply collaborating with you."

The teenager remained silent and instead choose to continue laying his head on the floor. The purist faction leader shook his head like an irritated dog.

"We know it was you. All evidence is stacked against you. And if you don't confess we'll be forced to continue until you do."

* * *

_**March 18, 2017 ATB**_

_**Speedwell Island, Area 8.**_

She glanced over to her left where a single sheet of paper rested upright. A shift of her weight eased some of the tension in her lower back, a result of sitting in such an uncomfortable plastic chair. The pen in her right hand was paused less than a full inch above the notebook laid about before her. A quick re-read to put her back on her train of thought brought a pensive frown to her face. She wasn't sure if the last equation was thought out properly.

With a sigh Gloria Danilo, robotics expert, set down her writing utensil to the right of her notes. She leaned back as best as she could in the small seat and took the chance to wipe her face in an effort to manually force her irritation away.

The bronze skinned, blue eyed, and black haired woman of only thirty-two threw her left arm over the back of her chair as she slumped backwards. Rows and creases of skin under eyes showed visible signs of just how tired she was. A quick glance upward took her eyes to the shelf standing across the top of her desk. The clock read somewhere near two in the morning. Another late night for her.

Not that she wasn't used to it. Long working hours and days of thinking were kind of a staple for those in the scientific community. Despite what the average person seemed to think being creative didn't mean ideas constantly flowed like a great river. There was a reason real inventions and experiments took years to put in to testing phases and even longer to be put in to production.

Unfortunately for her it didn't appear that she had months left, let alone years.

Unconsciously her eyes drifted back to the single page print off to her left. Her eyes traced each sentence from top to bottom despite the fact she had long memorized the contents. The report on the Britannian prototype knightmare frame had been something she had been waiting on for quite some time. But now that she had at least some idea of it's capabilities she almost wished that she hadn't.

_An energy shielding system. Advanced slash harkens_. She mused to herself silently. _And the physical performance can be explained by additional sakuradite._

Yes, despite the fact she had been pressuring for information regarding the Britannian's next step in knightmare frame development she still didn't expect for things to have come this far so soon. If she was being honest with herself she would say that her pride had taken a small hit. She had been looking forward to placing the first seventh generation frame in to the field before her competitors could. But not only was she late to the party it also appeared that the prospective enemy had capabilities that she yet didn't have a match for.

Still, that didn't mean she was anywhere near intimidated.

_We have some tricks of our own._ She thought with the barest hint of a smile peaking free. _I'd really like to see how our own inventions test out._

In actuality she hadn't been sure what she had been expecting when she had originally received word from the former Duke Ashford that her young compatriot had finally encountered the mystery knightmare. Zero had first relayed the frame's existence only three months before when he had been informed about it's arrival in Area 11 by a contact of his in the local military.

The idea of relocating the advanced frame to such a far out Britannian colony had been apparently implemented by the Britannian prime minster himself under the guise of using Area 11's constant terrorist attacks as a proving ground for data acquiring purposes. A smart and simple idea that she was sure would soon pay out if what Zero said about the frame's abilities were true.

_And this technology. Especially that shielding system._ A whimsical smile graced her delicate features. _It's screams Asplund. The strange bastard._

It made perfect since to the half Britannian. There were few people in the world who could boast the level of genius necessary to develop a knightmare with such advanced abilities. And her former classmate at the Colchester institute was one of them. Even back then she could see that the strange man who many ridiculed for his behavior and almost obsessive love of pudding would one day revolutionize the world in his chosen field. Apparently that chosen field was knightmare frame development.

_Dr. Clarkson did always say that we were the brightest bunch he had ever had the pleasure of teaching._ She reminded herself_. And it looks like he'll end up being right again_.

Her time as a student at the renowned technological institute was arguably the best years of her life. Growing up the bastard half blood child of a renegade Britannian noble had been hard on her. Despite the love her grandfather had shown her over the years following her father's death things had still been a struggle due to the color of her skin and impure commoner blood. After his passing the savages that had made up the rest of her family had been quick to throw her out, a slight to their pure blood line, and on to the streets.

But even from beyond the grave she had been taken care of.

Rolando Drake wasn't a man she had thought much of over the early years. In fact for the longest the only thing she had known about him came from her grandfather. The two men had been good friends in their days as military and the friendship had carried on long after her grandfather had retired. The man with the bright smile and warm demeanor had always been pleasant to her despite her lineage and that alone had caused him to register as something other than another noble.

But never in all her years would she have expected for him to be the one to swoop down and pick her back up. The man had brought her in to his home and helped put her through schooling despite the social backlash he had received and never asked for anything in return. And it was for that reason that she had not even thought twice about his offer to join him.

Which was why she was the lead technology designer for Blackwatch.

With her genius, The Ashford family head's resources, and Zero's all around diligence they had turned this simple cave on the edges of a pacified Britannian colony in to the main factory for all of her work. With Ace's goal of a better world in mind she had set out to do her part in provided the burgeoning organization with the technological advantage they would need. And even after his demise she still worked feverishly towards this outcome.

It was because of this that she had felt so disappointed in her own work. Apart from her early project with the remodeled Sutherland, The _Safir_, she had done little to hold up her end of the bargain. And even that frame had been developed with input from Zero (Though she didn't consider what he called CSD, or _Common Sense Developments_, to be major additions).

The _GX series_ she was currently working on was to be her first major project that would put them ahead of the curve. But despite the fact she was sure her designs could more than hold their own it wouldn't give their forces the major advantage that she had been originally banking on.

Even still it was clear to her that she could not wait any longer. Although Blackwatch was currently rather small, having officially less than ten members, she was positive that they were well on their way to becoming the full organization that Ace had originally envisioned. And what they lacked in operational size they made up for in spades with talent. Each member of the official group had a specific skill set or advantage that could be used to assist the others. And they could also boast to having three certified high level devicers, each exceptional in their own way.

_Things are going to escalate very soon. I can feel it_. She reasoned as she reached out for her pen. _Which means I'll have to stop researching so many advanced concepts and simply stick to what I have for now._

She wasn't quite sure what had made the usually composed and in control Zero act so hastily. Although she had gotten the information like the rest of the group she was still unsure as to why he would take such decisive actions without a second thought. That he had gotten to finally see the Britannian prototype in action took a back seat to the real issue at hand. Why would he actually kill a Britannian prince? Even with the horrible situation in Area 11 she still could not see the reasoning for it and the trouble it would no doubt bring.

_I'm missing something here. That isn't like him._ She thought with a frown. _There's something else. Something that managed to get to him. As unlikely as it sounds._

Either way she was sure that the chain of events that would follow would spiral out of their control if she didn't act. Call it a simple hunch or being paranoid. All she could think of with certainty was the fact that things in Area 11 would soon become hectic and that Zero would need the technology she promised if he was going to survive.

"The Safir is with _Shenlong_ in Indochina, along with two of Zero's little hit group. So I'll have to send him one of the GX prototypes, probably the _Kronos_ or the _Hyperion_." She muttered as she made a note about in the margin of the notebook. "At the very least I get to see how we match up to the competition."

With a sigh the woman closed the notebook at the desk and made to stand. It was time for bed, she would need the sleep to prepare. And she was sure that in the coming weeks she would be in contact with the rest of the organization more than she had in nearly all the years before.

_I just pray to god that Zero doesn't make any more unnecessary trouble_. She thought with mild annoyance. _But knowing him I should have nothing to worry about._

Still, the feeling of something in the air persisted, and that night she dreamed of war and change.


	6. Setting The Stage

**Disclaimer: I do not Own Code Geass in any shape or form. But I do own the originally ideas and characters present in this story.**

* * *

**_March 20, 2017 ATB_**

**_Tokyo Settlement, Area 11_**

It had been playing on television for the past twelve hours. Various news outfits from around the world had flocked on to the Tokyo settlement in droves. Each trying their best to find the smallest morsel of information. All of Britannia had been stopped cold, shaken by the revelation. Business had been closed down 'for mourning' and Britannian citizens wept in the streets. It was all just as he had expected it to be.

Except for one crucial difference.

"A trial?"

"A farce." Zero corrected ever so slightly, his face a mask of indifference despite his inner turmoil.

Royce turned his attention to his young companion. The two of them had been sitting at a restaurant, the man having entered the country, illegally, only a few hours before hand. There was a plate of buffalo wings sitting on the table between them, Royce having been reluctant to jump in to the Japanese cuisine so soon.

The man eyed the younger mercenary with speculative eyes, the task of studying his younger teammate being one of the reasons for his foray in to the Britannian controlled territory. To most the look on Zero's face could be contributed to pure boredom. But to his trained eyes little things about the younger male's body language gave him some insight in to the deep thoughts lingering below the seemingly calm surface.

"Your troubled." It was a statement and not a question.

Lelouch turned and forced his eyes to meet the other man's. "Yes."

"Why?" The Italian pressed. "Surely your not feeling guilty."

A small hint of a smile appeared at the left corner of the teenager's mouth. "But I am."

The man's gray eyes colored with confusion. "I don't understand. What does it matter if a random Japanese boy takes the fall?" His tone was kept low to avoid anyone potentially listening in. Although it was highly unlikely with the somber mood and the attention being paid to the various televisions mounted along the walls.

Zero slightly shook his head. "It doesn't matter." The younger male responded. "If he really was a random Japanese boy."

Realization hit the man. "You know him?" It was half an accusation.

The raven haired teen nodded his head once as he turned his attention back to a nearby television. "Yes. Once upon a time I did. I in fact called him friend, the same I refer to all of you." He didn't have to explain who he was talking about.

Royce frowned as well now, understanding a little bit better. "How long ago was this?"

"Almost a decade." Lelouch had admitted. "And if this had happened last week I wouldn't have given two shakes of a damn in all honesty."

The Italian assassin put the pieces in order as best as he could as they were fed to him.

"He was there? At the incident?" He referred to Zero's involvement in Shinjuku lightly.

"Indeed he was. A naïve an innocent honorary Britannian." Zero supplied helpfully. "For that matter he was always a little naïve."

"That's not enough." The man challenged as he reached for a chicken wing. "What am I missing?"

"I might not have made it without his help." Zero finally offered. "What I stumbled upon, why I pulled that trigger, almost got me killed for just being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"I can venture it was the same for him?" Royce inquired. "An expendable asset?"

The teenager nodded. "He was too good at his new job." He turned back to face the man. "They ordered him to shoot me."

The man blinked in surprise, shock coloring his face for a second before it bled away. Things were finally beginning to make sense to him and he didn't like the direction this little informational session was heading.

"He refused. And they shot him instead." The man finally filled in. "That gave you time to get away."

"Yes, although it was more like it gave the fool inside of the truck a chance to blow it to hell. Then I managed to get away." The taller male added. "I was more than a little surprised. Almost a damn decade and not only did he recognize me-"

"He took a bullet for you." Royce interjected with a sigh. His right hand came up to rub at his face. "I can see where this is going. That was part of the reason you did what you did."

"Yes." Zero paused before he shrugged and continued. "That along with horrible past memories of my time under a needle and the sigh of people being offed left and right just for the hell of it." A frown suddenly split his face. "We've all done some damn things we haven't been proud of, but I'm telling you that what I saw that afternoon was certainly one of the worst."

The man grunted. He could believe that.

"There's more to this." Zero mentioned as he looked back to the TV and gestured with his left hand. "If you know where to look."

Royce brought his head around to the screen. "Than help me to understand."

"That man, making the announcement at the podium." Zero began. "He's a Margrave. Goes by the name of Jeremiah Gottwald."

The Italian born citizen nodded. "Never heard of him, what's his story?"

"There's a personal bit there." Lelouch admitted. "Things from a time long forgotten, from when I couldn't even stand the sound of an explosion let alone throw a grenade but that isn't the point here." Waving the part he had just mentioned away with his left hand.

Royce frowned again at the sudden slip. Each of the originally group was keeping something in their past from one another. And he, like many others, was particularly interested in Zero's past. Both for what he could find and what he was hoping not to find.

The teenager continued. "Anyhow, you wouldn't know him from first glance. Just another noble solider. But if you have an understanding of Britannian politics you can manage to put the pieces together in to the right order."

The man's frowned deepened a shade. "Margrave is pretty high up, right?" Revealing his lack of real knowledge considering Britannian nobility. It was one of the few areas he didn't boast a strong understanding. "Not many of those from what I can remember."

"It is." Zero confirmed. "Only the Marques and Duke lines are higher up, apart from the royalty that is." His face pinched at the last part. "And he's noted as a knight as well. Really skilled frame pilot and has a strong service record. The bastard."

The Italian felt one of his eyebrows raise at the last bit. It really did seem like this whole situation was causing the usually in control Zero to show a little emotion for once. And he wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing yet.

"Gottwald is the model Britannian soldier. But that doesn't mean anything for the man." Zero added now that his face had regained it's usual façade.

Royce reached for another chicken wing as he motioned for the teen to continue with his other hand. Zero eyed the man with some small hint of amusement flashing deep within his eyes.

"He's a member of the pureblood movement." Zero finally explained. "And the unofficial leader of their chapter here in Area 11 if what my people say is true."

The Italian cleaned the sauce away from his mouth with a frown. "What's that all about?"

"Basically, the worst kind of Britannian nobles." Lelouch informed him. "The typical bastards they talked about in depth at the EU I'd assume. Really haughty. Snobs who get by on their family prestige. Men and woman who care about social status more than anything."

"Assholes." The man supplied with his accent peaking somewhat. Zero nodded.

"Yes, assholes of high caliber." He directed his gaze back to the television. "The biggest sticking point is there desire to make the already humongous divine in Britannian society even larger. They want the commoners to fall even lower down the totem pole while the nobles gain even more power." He gestured to the area around them with his left hand to give the man an idea of what he meant by commoners.

Gavino frowned. "Damn, that's not good." He was speaking in general but both knew the words to be true. What Zero was explaining was essentially the entire reason people hated Britannia in the first place. Warmongering was one thing. Warmongering while enslaving was another. But doing both and being absolute dicks about it? That's where people really drew the line.

"They really want to do this by starting in the military." Lelouch commented as he finally reached for his own wing. "Nobility is officially started at the level of 'Knight' in the Britannian society. And anyone who can get through KMF training and score at least an eighty-five on their simulator scores is given this title. That's how a lot of people on the lower rungs of society choose to try and make a living and part of the reason the desire to join the military is always so high."

The teenager bit in to the wing and chewed. Royce simly looked over to the television as he waited for him to continue.

"They don't like that at all. As far as they're concerned the Britannian military should stop handing out the title to commoners, despite the fact it's not hereditary. And for that matter they want to make it so that only nobility can reach the higher rungs on the military ladder anyway. Never mind the fact that such restrictions would nearly cripple their forces."

"Than they're hypocrites." Gavino commented. "They enjoy the strength the military gives them but also desire to weaken it."

"Exactly." Zero added with a snap of the fingers on his right hand. "But while that is bad enough there is something that the purebloods hate more than Britannian commoners in the military."

"Let me guess." Royce interjected with his left hand raised as if he were in a classroom. "They hate _Britannian slaves_ in the military."

The teen nodded. "The idea of the honorary Britannian system is a convoluted one. And the perception that life is better by simply giving in is also a lie the Britannian government uses to help stifle any ideas of revolt amongst the satellite nations. In truth honorary Britannians take just as much, if not more, flack from the people native to their home nation. Despite the fact that more often than not the people who submitted have to due to the need for a stable job.

"And it only gets worse in the military." He continued. "The life of a soldier is a hard one but the life of a soldier amongst the enemy?"

"I can image." The Italian added with a nod. "They also probably have to do with a strong bias there as well."

"Racism is a calling card of the Britannian society. And so is war. Obviously the two have to mix." Lelouch explained further. "Many times men and woman of non-Britannian origin are passed over for promotions and achievements that should rightfully belong to them. In addition no honorary Britannian is supposed to be allowed to operate a knightmare, which takes out any chance to gain the coveted title of nobility. And as you know the few exceptions to that rule are more often than not simply being used before they are discarded." He was of course referring to a group they both knew personally.

Royce shook his head. "This isn't a good conversation." He commented as he reached for another wing, his hunger still apparent. "It's making me upset. And my stomach doesn't do well when I'm upset."

Zero chuckled, the sound low and deep in his broad chest. "Oh, but I haven't even gotten to the good part. How that all relates to what's happening here."

The man stared at him flatly, the chicken wing in his hand stopping just before his mouth. Zero continued despite the look. He gestured with his head back to the television that was replaying the press conference in full.

"Kururugi Suzaku." He began as he placed his hands flat on the table. "Is a particularly important honorary Britannian."

The man set his food down on to a napkin. "How so?"

"Because, of his status amongst the Japanese." Zero started to explain. "He is, after all, the oldest child of the late Japanese prime minister."

That stopped the Italian man short. He, like most of the world, knew the details behind the Japanese's lose in the war for their country. After all, it was the first time the knightmare frames were used to great effect. And as such was an important turning point in the history of mankind.

"He was the one who committed suicide." Royce said with a look of comprehension dawning on his features. "The one who called for everyone to fight to the last man before he went and did himself in."

"That's a story on to it's self." Lelouch said gently. "What many of you don't know is that I was here long before Britannia evaded, months even. And during the time the Kururugi family took me and my younger sister in to their home. We stayed with them for some time and I can tell you from memory that the idea that he killed himself is something that's always bothered me a little. The man was anything but a coward."

Royce grunted as his gaze went down to the table, his mind filing away that little piece of information for later.

"Anyway, Kururugi is in a delicate position that makes him the ideal scapegoat."

"How so?" The Italian born assassin questioned. "Because he's the former prime minister's son?"

"Yes." Zero said with a nod. "Anywhere else and that wouldn't matter. But here in Jap- excuse me Area 11? That's a big deal."

"I'm not following what's different." The man admitted.

"Of all the Britannian territories." Stressing the last word to inflect a bit of sarcasm. "Area 11 is matched only by one other, _Area 10_, for it's continued resistance. And the difference between the two being the type of resistance."

"What's so special about it." Gavino commented. "Isn't the constant warfare the reason we had you and Shenlong split up and stay in the areas?"

"Yes, but it's also because of familiarity." Zero responded. "Indochina differs in that the constant warfare is backed in part by the Chinese Federation. Unofficially the Britannians are simply fighting insurgents. But anyone and everyone knows that Chinese are supply the people there in the hopes that they can later take the land for themselves. That's also the reason they haven't turned their attention here, although that's also expected some time in the next decade."

Royce nodded his head in understanding. "The fighting here differs. It's all the locals instead of a combined armed force. Can I also assume that's why they refer to the minor clashes here as acts of terrorism instead?"

Lelouch nodded. "Yes. This is quite the strange situation. In truth it's prime real estate to make a successful run at repelling Britannia. The things that have stopped that however are numerous. Namely the fact that there are so many groups of wannabe heroes. Instead of working together and going about it as one movement they have various little terrorist cells who barely put a dent, each trying to obtain glory."

"That's disappointing." Royce commented. "From my understanding the administration in this area has taken a lot of heat from the Britannian mainland for the way the handle the sakuradite business. They leave it to the locals to mine and refine correct?"

"Yes. Which means that despite the fact they technically control the territory the Britannian still don't have the sakuradite monopoly they had been expecting. Another folly that the late prince has made over the years." The teenager dropped his voice an octave as he glanced around for anyone trying to listen in.

"I can only imagine what would happen if they actually did organize." Royce muttered as he reached again for his wing.

"There is one group who does hold some power." Zero added. "They're the unofficial remains of the Japanese military. Due to the fact they were so quickly beaten they can still boast the man power and discipline that many other groups can't. The problem is their a short sighted group who hasn't made any real moves in years. And as such the third prince only searched for them half heartedly."

Gavino leaned back in to his seat with a pensive frown. "Is that the one with that tactician? The famous one?"

"Yes, Kyoshori Tohdoh." Zero commented. "He's the one they call _'Tohdoh of miracles_.' The last man to beat the Britannians back completely in battle. That was the last real win, in Itsukushima, before the incident in Shinjuku that is." He managed to curve any idea of a smile.

"I'm surprised they haven't found him yet." Said Royce. "You would think as a matter of pride they would do whatever they could to end him."

Lelouch shrugged. "Once again, the late prince."

"Ah." Royce said with a nod. "I'm beginning to get the picture."

"With that being said the Japanese Liberation Front, as they've been called, doesn't have the foresight or leadership necessary to properly set up a revolution in the area. As a result things have become rather stagnant and repetitive. That incident in Shinjuku was the only real shake up in quite a while. And my hand was forced if I didn't want thousands of ghost to come back and haunt me."

"I'm sure." Gavino deadpanned. "We don't want to add those to the ones who are after you for killing them."

"Exactly." Lelouch nodded sagely. "But back to the matter at hand. Kururugi's position as a public figure to the Japanese is valuable. This set up is a two fold attack that could possibly cause things to spiral out of control in this country. Which is exactly what the purist faction wants.

"They want to cause a mass reaction. Kururugi is currently a lightning rod for the people. To the Japanese he's a hero. To the Britannians he's a Villain. If they can convicted him of killing the prince they have the grounds for dispelling the honorary Britannian system. And additionally they can crack down even harder on the people in each of the territories under the idea that they would be preparing to revolt."

"It's a cluster fuck." The Italian man noted with a nod. "A well thought out move that gives them a great deal of power and the opportunity to increase their standing. All while getting rid of one of the things they hate the most."

"Correct." Zero said. "They would have a base to further their own agenda while sweeping away any grounds for opposition in one simple move."

"A horrible outcome. One that will cripple the people in the conquered territories even more." Gavino said somberly. Zero nodded.

"Exactly. And one we can't allow to come to pass." He turned his gaze to the Italian man. "Which is why we're going to stop them."

Royce nodded absentmindedly before the words finally registered. He opened his mouth to speak once, twice, three times before he finally closed it in favor of simply snapping his eyes up to the teenager. Gray met violet in a battle of wills.

"I'm sorry?" The man finally asked, confusion tinting his tone. "Can you repeat that last part?"

Zero simply grinned.

* * *

"This is by far the stupidest damn idea that you've ever had."

The words were blunt, caustic, and filled with irritation. A small splatter of murmured agreements followed to further reinforce the point. Zero simply choose to remain silent, seated calmly in his chair with his face devoid of any emotion.

"I mean really." The man continued his verbal assault. "Really the dumbest idea. Maybe the worst I've ever heard."

Ruben Ashford shifted uncomfortably. "For once... I agree with him."

Zhang Tao turned said irritation to the old Britannian with a scowl. The Chinese man of a little over fifty narrowed his beady dark eyes on to the speaker before turning his attention back to the teenager sitting confidently before him.

Zero looked back at the man. Tao was a tall sort, about an inch or so more than Zero at around six feet and five inches, and tremendously lanky. The man's dark hair had been streaked with gray and slicked back in to a small ponytail. His sharp nose and pointed chin took attention away from his canted eyes and permanent frown. The former Chinese Federation general was a hard man to get along with. And more often than not he conflicted with the other members of the group due to his caustic attitude. Mostly Zero.

Still, what the two men lacked as comrades they made up for in mutual respect. Zhang was another one of Ace's former contacts, this one an enemy turned friend due to diplomatic maneuvers in their younger years. The general had spent a year in Pendragon under the orders of the late Chinese emperor. There, per Charles Zi Britannia's personal order, Ace had served as his host and escort. The two had struck up a tentative friendship that had grown over the years. And when Ace had left Britannia with the intention of creating Blackwatch Zhang had been the second person he had told, after from Hirigawa.

He was also the uncle of Shenlong. Which kinda made his inclusion in to the group mandatory.

"You usually have better plans." The former Chinese general kept on. "But this and the last one... What's wrong with you?"

"In my defense." Zero began as calmly as he always did. "I didn't get much time to plan the last little foray. It just sort of happened."

The three of the faces looked to him with some form of disappointment.

They were standing deep under ground in Ashford academy, in the monitoring center Ruben Ashford had built long ago as a place to watch over the entire school. Over the years they had turned it in to an actual command center complete with copies of important data and various plans. Included was a state of the art communications array. Currently it was being used to beam in signals from all over the world.

On three the fifteen screens sat the faces of Cypher, Zhang, and Danilo, each of them staring back at him with varying levels of emotion. From outright irritation in Zhang to a sort of resignation in Danilo. In the room with him at various points were the Ashford family head, Dr. Tanaka, and Royce.

All of them had just been told of his plan to intervene on the matter at hand. None of them liked the idea.

"I knew it." Danilo stared flatly. "I knew you would be up to something. I literally told myself that. It was the entire damn reason for bringing the Kronos to you."

Zero smiled patiently. "Thank you for that by the way, I'm surprised that you managed to get it here so quickly. You do excellent work doctor. It's a beautiful knightmare."

"Don't try to butter her up." Cypher interjected as he rubbed his large forehead. "This is really a big thing you've sprung on us." More agreement followed.

Zero let them all finish before he spoke up again. "I'm well aware of that. But life rarely gives a damn about what we think."

There was a string of silence there. He was right on that point.

"Furthermore." The teenager continued. "I don't think any of you have an real problem with the reasoning. Blackwatch was created just to stop this kind of thing. Letting the Britannian purebloods gain a measure of control is going to cause us serious problems down the way."

"Or it could help us." Interjected Royce. "We always said we wanted to expand and one day include a real fighting force. A Britannian crackdown would give us the opportunity to recruit people sympathetic to our cause."

Tanaka shook his head. "But at what cost? If the people do riot they'll be put down with deadly force. I don't really want to see anyone get killed off because of Britannian manipulations. Let alone the Japanese people."

"For that matter, it's the entire basis for the Shinjuku interference." Danilo added from her place in her small office. "It will effectively be the same exact situation. Just on a much larger scale and for a different reason."

The group fell silent again as they thought over the words. Zhang's frown grew deeper.

"Even if the reasoning is sound it says nothing of the actual plan. It's a long shot to say the least."

"What part do you have a problem with?" Zero calmly inquired.

"The part where it's all a big bluff." Zhang retorted with a some heat.

Zero shook his head. "Britannian's love a show, more than anything. Speeches, drama, great hand gestures. It's the entire reason they're making a _parade over the probable execution of a man_. You of all people should know that from your time in Pendragon."

Zhang opened his mouth to retort before he snapped it shut with a slight nod. That part was also true.

"I'm with him on this part." Cypher began. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Ruben shifted in his chair again. "He means it will give him the time he needs. They just won't shoot at once. They'll give it a chance to play out. I have to say I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that he's mostly right. Britannians do love their damn drama."

"Especially the purebloods." Danilo added with a slight nod. "They even make you take classes on public speaking. Believe me, I know."

"I'm still not seeing how this is a guarantee that they just won't blow you away or step on you with a knightmare." Cypher pressed.

"It's not a guarantee." Zero responded. "It's just a damn good chance."

The answer only made Cypher more frustrated. "Why take a chance at all?"

"Because it has to be done. And you know that."

"No I don't." The man snapped back. "If Ace was here-"

"If Ace was here now." Zhang interrupted with a frown. "He would want to do this damn thing himself."

The room feel silent again, Ruben and Hiroshi standing about awkwardly. They didn't know the man personally, just what they had been told about him. But from what they could understand he had played a major part in to the lives of each of the people in the organization.

Royce stood up from his chair and took a few steps towards the front of the room. "How would we do this anyway?"

Everyone cut their gaze to him before looking back to Zero.

"What do you mean? I already explained it." The teen responded. Royce shook his head.

"No, I mean what other insurance do we have." He crossed his arms. "I understand the idea that I'll be playing the part of overwatch but I'm still not some ace knightmare pilot like you and Shenlong are. And we can't exactly call her to help you in three days. I'm the only real back up you have and if things do go bad I'll be forced to intervene. We'll both probably be killed then."

A small grin split Zero's face. "I've got two things to help us out. The first is back up. Or at least what I intend for."

Everyone frowned again. Everyone except for Ruben.

"Oh!" He exclaimed before he turned in his chair to face the teenager with wide eyes. "The terrorist from Shinjuku!"

Zero nodded.

"What the hell? How's that going to help." Cypher questioned, his frustration mounting. "What can terrorist do?"

"They can provide me with additional support." Zero explained calmly. "Expendable support if need be."

"How do you figure?" The man demanded. Zero didn't take offense to the tone.

"Because they have a conscious."

Royce frowned again. "You expect for them to help you again?"

"I _know_ they will." Zero stressed the key word. "They're actions in Shinjuku show that they won't be willing to let an innocent man suffer for their own mistakes. The same as me. And I can stress how the entire situation is still a result of their poor planning. They forced the incident with Clovis in the first place. I can paint Kururugi as another victim of that decision."

Cypher opened his mouth to argue the point before he forced his lips shut. He could tell first hand just how convincing Zero could be when he really wanted to get something done. For that matter he was doing his little trick on them all right now.

"And the second point?" Zhang questioned with an almost resigned look. "What's that next point?"

"Extra survival help." Zero answered. "Provided by Dr. Tanaka here."

All eyes turned to the mousy man who frowned at the attention before realization hit him like a rock against the brain.

"Oh no!" He brought his hands up to chest level and began to wave them as if to ward Zero's idea away. "Oh no! No, no, no, no! Bad idea."

Zero calmly stood from his chair. "Yes doctor."

"It's not ready!" The man retorted with a little heat. "The suit isn't anywhere near the finished product. There's so much more I want to do."

"Any you'll be able to." Lelouch said with a nod. "But for now I'll just borrow it. Call it a test run for added insurance."

"No!" The man shouted stubbornly. "I won't let you!"

Danilo's face pinched up in to confusion before her eyebrows shot up to her hairline. "The Solidus System?" She nearly exclaimed with audible excitement. "You've got it working?!"

Zero turned his head to her screen before he nodded once. "To an extent."

"He means no!" Hiroshi snapped. "It doesn't have any of the advanced features."

"But it does work." Zero stressed calmly. "Especially the motor skills. I can use it if things do get rough."

Royce frowned. "Remind me just what this is again." His desire for information also shared by Zhang and Cypher.

It was Ruben who answered. "It's Zero's little project." He too rose from his seat to better articulate the points. "An advanced survival suit that's he and Tanaka have been tinkering with for a while now."

"It sounds really cool!" Gloria cut in, sounded more like a teenager herself. "It has this interface and HUD that gives you real time tactical data."

"It's _supposed_ to." Dr. Tanaka cut in with a snarl. "All it does right now is tell the damn time and put a tremendous strain on the body."

"It does more than tell time." Zero said with a roll of his eyes. "And I don't need it for any advance functions. Just to give me that little push if things get rough."

Royce's frown deepened. "What kind of push?"

"It's supposed to be intended for advanced ops soldiers." Ruben supplied. "They got the idea from a movie actually and decided to work on it between Tanaka's other projects."

"It's effectively a super suit!" Danilo was practically shouting at this point. "It's got some sakuradite sparkled about it. I used the idea for the GX series. And I think that white knightmare does the same. It should help boost physical performance by over three hundred percent."

"If it doesn't kill the user." Tanaka snapped again. "Right now not many people can use it effectively. The minor robotics it uses put a strain on the neural load."

"_I can_ use it." Lelouch cut in with a little irritation showing. "This can serve both as a test and give me some added protection to keep me alive. The body armor alone will make small arms fire practically useless and the boost to movement skills should allow me to out maneuver any knightmares that Royce can't hit."

Another cover of silence fell over the group. Tanaka scowled and opened his mouth to retort before he closed it again. He had no real argument that Zero didn't already think of a counter for. That was just the way the damn kid worked.

"This... Might actually work." Royce finally said. "It seems like you've managed to think this all through in this little amount of time."

Zero shook his head. "It's not that it should work. It has to work. The only problem I see being the terrorist. If they don't cooperate we'll have to go about it alone. But that's what the suit is for. If everything else falls in to place we'll be more than fine."

"So what now?" Ruben questioned. "You've only got less than three full days. How are you going to get started?"

The teenager turned to face him with a small smirk.

"By making a phone call."


End file.
